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NTSB: Metro signal system didn't detect test train
2009-06-25
WASHINGTON - The signaling system for the Washington-area transit agency failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during a deadly crash this week, federal investigators said Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board's test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash that killed nine could have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead. A statement by the NTSB did not say whether investigators think the problems were occurring before the crash, which injured dozens. Investigators are trying to understand how the train control system was functioning when a train plowed into another that was stopped, resulting in the deadliest crash in the rail system's 33-year history. The control system provides critical information to trains such as when to stop or slow down. The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer, although there is evidence the operator applied the emergency brake. On Thursday, investigators found streak marks on the tracks for about 125 feet leading up to the crash site, indicating "heavy braking." The operator of the struck train told NTSB investigators Thursday that his car was running in manual mode at the time of the crash. The operator, whose name hasn't been released, said he was waiting for a train in front of him to clear when he felt a hard push to his train from behind. The NTSB also announced that it had recovered data recorders from the struck train; none were found on the striking train. The NTSB declined to answer further questions. Such signal systems don't fail easily and the results raise safety concerns for transit systems nationwide, said James Moore, a civil engineering professor at the University of Southern California. "I imagine that every transit authority nationally is taking a quiet internal review of its system," he said. Earlier Thursday, Metro announced that it was inspecting all its tracks to make signaling problems weren't elsewhere. General Manager John Catoe said trains will run manually until crews inspect all 3,000 circuits, or sections beneath the track that include signaling equipment. "We have to act and we're taking action," Catoe said. He said Metro hoped to conclude its inspections within a couple of weeks. The manufacturer of Metro's signaling system is West Henrietta, N.Y.-based Alstom Signaling Inc., which has not responded this week to calls for comment. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority also uses a system made by Alstom, and last month a circuit board made by an Alstom subcontractor powering the signal system failed to detect trains on the system's orange line, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. Pesaturo said trains went into manual mode as a precaution, and workers communicated via radio from stations and trains, which caused delays. The NTSB has also criticized Metro for failing to revamp or replace its 1000-series rail cars after previous warnings by the agency. The striking train, which sustained most of the damage, was made up of those cars dating to the 1970s. The cars are not as good at withstanding crashes as later models. Metro told the NTSB in 2006 that it couldn't afford to replace the old cars because of an elaborate financing arrangement in which it sold the rail cars to banks and then leased them back at a discount. Metro is making lease payments until 2014. Metro "appears to have allowed banks -- rather than experts on passenger safety -- to dictate what kind of trains Metro riders use and for how many years they are in service," Sen. Charles Grassley said in a letter Wednesday to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. A House subcommittee was set to hold a hearing on the crash July 14. Metro on Thursday reopened the two stations that had been closed since the crash, but only for rush hour. Trains were running along just one track, leaving the side damaged in the crash closed. A Washington couple who say their 15-year-old son was a passenger on the striking train sued Metro, which is formally known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Imhotep Yakub and Dawn Flanagan say their son, Davonne Flanagan, has a fractured femur and other injuries and are seeking $950,000 in damages.
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