Metro is facing a second investigation into circumstances that led to the suspension of more than half its rail cars as two inspectors general seek to determine why a known safety defect wasn’t properly reported and why passengers were allowed to ride on potentially unsafe trains, according to interviews and documents.
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The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation and its counterpart within Metro are conducting the joint investigation to determine why the malfunctions sidelining all 748 of Metro’s 7000-series rail cars were not resolved sooner, according to correspondence from the investigation obtained by The Washington Post. The suspension created a severe train shortage that has significantly reduced Metrorail service for more than three weeks.
The joint probe is the latest development in a crisis that has forced Metro to contend with a federal safety investigation and depressed service levels, while shifting focus away from luring back riders during the pandemic. The National Transportation Safety Board is simultaneously leading a separate probe into what caused a derailment last month of a train with a defect that was known to some employees within Metro.
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NTSB spokeswoman Jennifer Gabris said the agency is working with both inspectors’ general offices, but that the combined federal and Metro probe will request information separately that is needed for their investigation.
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Metro spokeswoman Kristie Swink Benson declined to comment on the specifics of the joint investigation, saying “we are cooperating fully with both the [Metro] Inspector General and the DOT Inspector General.”
Transportation Department Inspector General Eric J. Soskin declined to comment through an office spokesperson. Metro Inspector General Geoff Cherrington also declined to comment.
The scope of the investigation is broad, but centers on who knew about wheelset defects that have been discovered more than 50 times over four years and what those with knowledge did with the information, according to a person with direct knowledge of the probe who was not authorized to speak publicly.
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Investigators are also searching for breakdowns in communication and notification. While the inspectors’ general offices have the authority to conduct criminal investigations, the person said any possible criminal case would likely be referred to the Justice Department or federal prosecutors.
Inspectors general have high levels of independence and autonomy, assigned or appointed within public agencies to investigate from within and root out criminality, fraud, abuse and inefficiencies to bring more transparency and accountability.
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The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, an agency Congress created in 2017 to oversee safety after years of lapses, has said its inspectors were not told of the defects, as required. Members of Congress, including Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), have called for greater accountability and transparency from Metro’s leadership.
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In a letter Friday to Cherrington, Connolly asked the Metro inspector general to find out why the safety commission wasn’t notified and to report back to the subcommittee Connolly chairs that requires Metro to provide periodic status reports. Connolly called Metro’s lack of reporting a “consistent pattern of resistance” in its dealings with the safety commission.
In a response Cherrington sent Monday, he said an investigation was underway to trace the chain of information of the defects and to determine if employee misconduct was involved.
“I am pleased my request for an investigation into these safety failures is being pursued,” Connolly said in a statement to The Post. “Metro had serious breakdowns in safety protocols that could have resulted in catastrophic incidents. Transparency and accountability are critical if we are going to restore confidence in Metro.”
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The defects came to light Oct. 12, when a Blue Line train slipped off the track outside the Arlington Cemetery station, forcing the evacuation of 187 passengers. An NTSB-led investigation discovered that wheels on one rail car had shifted outward from its fixed axle, causing the derailment.
Investigators learned Metro had been aware of the defect since 2017, when a handful of instances subsequently were discovered each year during routine inspections. That number surged this year, when 18 instances of the progressive defect were found before the derailment.
The safety commission ordered the transit system to pull all 7000-series cars out of service on Oct. 17. The NTSB and Metro then discovered about 20 more cases during emergency inspections of all 7000-series cars. The cars, which make up nearly 60 percent of Metro’s roughly 1,200-car fleet, were phased into service beginning in 2015 — two years before the first defect was spotted.
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NTSB investigators say Metro knew enough about the defects over the years to have discussions with manufacturer Kawasaki Rail Car, but Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld and Metro Board Chairman Paul C. Smedberg have said they were not aware of the issues. Metro officials have said they initially viewed the problem as a rare and isolated warranty problem affecting a sliver of the fleet until the caseloads rose this year.
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NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has said the defect could have led to a catastrophic incident if not discovered. The rare defect has puzzled longtime train and rail engineers, mechanics, and current and former NTSB investigators, who have said wheels are typically pressed into axles with such force that they do not move.
Investigators have sent metal from the wheelset to NTSB’s labs for testing, Gabris said.
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Metro continues to operate the rail system with about 40 older-model trains. The system is testing an inspection process that aims to detect wheelset defects before they can cause harm. Investigators have said the malfunction only appears on some trains and surfaces after a long period of time and usage.
If the testing works, Metro will ask the safety commission to allow 7000-series rail cars that show no sign of the defect back into service. The transit agency hasn’t said when that could take place, but has told riders that current, limited service levels will stay at least through the end of the month.
Trains on the Red Line are running every 12 minutes, while operating every 20 minutes on the Green and Yellow lines, and 30 minutes on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines.