WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration may have issued a new report about Metro safety this week, but the findings are raising the same concerns that have dogged the rail system for years, local officials say.
“Candidly, there are no surprises for me,” said Montgomery County Council member Sydney Katz. “We all know that there are tremendous problems.”
“They’re obviously in great need for many, many things to be done to make this a safe and reliable service,” added Katz.
The FTA blasted Metro for lax maintenance, saying it fails to properly train track inspectors and does not give them enough time to make repairs.
“It again highlights what has been painfully obvious for years: Metro’s safety culture is lacking,” said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., in a statement.
The “report is alarming, but not surprising,” he said.
One of the more troubling aspects of the report relates to a derailment last month near the East Falls Church station. The FTA says Metro knew there were track problems in that area, but kept trains running through there anyway.
