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WMATA to vote on budget plan that includes Red Line automation
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s board is expected to vote Thursday on a $913 million budget plan that includes a proposal to fully automate Metro’s Red Line, the system’s oldest and busiest rail line.
WASHINGTON - The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s board is expected to vote Thursday on a $913 million budget plan that includes a proposal to fully automate Metro’s Red Line, the system’s oldest and busiest rail line.
The plan comes as Metro continues investigating Wednesday’s crash in which a Yellow Line maintenance vehicle struck the rear of a Silver Line train, injuring nearly a dozen people.
Officials have not indicated that the collision was connected to Metro’s automated systems, but several riders told FOX 5 the incident immediately reminded them of the 2009 Red Line crash at Fort Totten, when a failure in the automatic train control system led to nine deaths.
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Thursday’s vote focuses on the Red Line Modernization Program. WMATA describes the project as a priority needed to meet its goals. Officials note a number of issues in their argument for it, including operators inconsistently accelerating and braking contributing to delays. The plan would also require installing platform doors at stations.
About a year ago, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission raised issues involving automated train overruns. A Washington Metrorail Safety Commission spokesperson told FOX 5 the next level of automation would still need to complete WMATA’s safety certification process before it could be used for passenger service.
The union representing Metro workers has also voiced opposition to the automation proposal.
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