Under the oversight of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is working towards Metrorail safety improvements that will provide for even higher levels of safety for riders and employees.

This annual status report on the safety of the WMATA Rail System in 2021 outlines WMSC directives and ongoing investigations as well as the status of Metrorail’s outstanding Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) and Metrorail’s other progress towards ensuring continuous safety improvement.

As its State Safety Oversight Agency (SSOA), the WMSC plays a significant role in driving Metrorail safety improvements through audits, safety event investigations, inspections, and oversight of CAPS, safety certification and emergency management. The WMSC issues directives and orders or takes other enforcement action when necessary. The WMSC’s priority is the safety of riders, workers and all others who depend on the system’s proper maintenance and operations.

The WMSC acted on this responsibility in October and December 2021 through swift orders requiring Metrorail to remove all 7000 Series railcars from passenger service until Metrorail developed and implemented a plan to safely return each railcar to service. The first order in October followed the WMSC’s response to the scene of an October 12 Blue Line train derailment between Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery stations, and subsequent information identified during the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. The WMSC remains an active party to the investigation. The second order in December followed the WMSC’s independent oversight identifying that Metrorail was not following its own return to service plan that the WMSC had accepted just two weeks earlier.

The WMSC, guided by its oversight function and its top priority of safety, completed six audit reports in 2021 and conducted work on three other audits that will be issued in 2022. One such audit, of the Revenue Vehicle (Railcar) Program, revealed deficiencies in document control practices, safety certification, and standardized processes to address problems such as those present during the 2020 6000 Series pull-aparts, among other safety issues. For each audit finding, Metrorail is required to develop and implement a corrective action plan that addresses the finding and thereby improves the safety of the Metrorail system. The audits issued in 2021 were:

• Elevated Structures Inspection, Maintenance and Repair

• Roadway Maintenance Machine (RMM) Inspection, Maintenance and Training

• Automatic Train Control (ATC), Signals and Signal Machines Planning, Inspection, Maintenance and Training

• Fitness for Duty Programs

• Revenue Vehicle (Railcar) Programs

• High Voltage and Traction Power Programs

Metrorail has outlined and followed through on plans to address specific safety issues identified in recent years, which led to the closure of 40 corrective action plans in 2021. This is in addition to other safety issues Metrorail addressed through the WMSC’s inspections, investigations and other oversight processes, and those actions Metrorail took as a result of safety assurance measures required under its Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).

The WMSC also oversees WMATA’s safety certification process which must be used, among other things, for the Silver Line Phase Two extension. WMATA can open the line to passengers only after the WMSC concurs that Metrorail has met the requirements of WMATA’s Safety and Security Certification Program Plan (SSCPP) and Metrorail’s other written safety commitments. Metrorail’s process is designed to identify and mitigate hazards to provide for the highest practicable level of safety. These commitments are one element of Metrorail’s PTASP. The PTASP, which Metrorail completed its first annual revision of as required in late 2021, requires a Safety Management System (SMS) approach that involves personnel at all levels and is focused on safety promotion, safety policy, safety assurance, and safety risk management. Full implementation of the PTASP is expected to take several years of continuous improvement.