WASHINGTON — Metro’s board of directors will meet behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss the derailment earlier this month, and consider disciplinary action against workers who might have prevented the wreck.
The Washington Post reports today’s meeting will not be public, but a 100-plus page document detailing the investigation might be made public by week’s end.
The issue causing a train to jump the tracks outside the Smithsonian Station had been identified but not rectified in the month prior to the incident. In a news release posted on Metro’s website Aug. 13, Metro’s board called the derailment an unforgivable breach of safety.
“The Board is outraged and dismayed that anyone working at Metro would have critical safety information and not act on it immediately. It is totally unacceptable that the wide gauge track problem reported [Aug. 12] by the General Manager could go unaddressed and unrepaired for four weeks,” the news release said.
Many local leaders blame Metro’s recurring issues on a lack of leadership caused by the board’s stalled search for a general manager following the retirement of Richard Sarles in January.
“Metro has got to act with urgency,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said, calling for the Metro system to quickly hire a new leader.
“Right now it’s a headless operation; they have no general manager,” he said.
During the Aug. 6 derailment no one was on the train and no one was hurt, but the resulting nine-hour closure of multiple rail lines and stations disrupted the commutes of nearly 160,000 people.
Metro currently has speed restrictions on curved sections of tracks and is conducting emergency track inspections throughout the system.
