U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) said on Monday that the findings of a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) track integrity report are “appalling.”
The Federal Transit Authority’s (FTA) WMATA Track Integrity Investigation Report and Safety Directive found that WMATA’s inspection program does not provide adequate time for inspectors to inspect their territories, and that WMATA does not make track inspection a priority.
“It is appalling to hear more bad news regarding the ongoing safety struggles at Metro,” Comstock said. “It is damning that the FTA had already identified track problems and highlighted their concerns to Metro about the area outside the East Falls Church station prior to the July 29 derailment.”
The report also found that maintenance departments do not jointly review issues and safety concerns that impact track integrity to develop coordinated mitigation efforts.
“I call on Metro to respond to these findings and immediately begin working with the FTA to ensure that their safety recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible,” Comstock said. “I also encourage Metro to maintain transparency with the public as this process unfolds.”
Earlier this month, Comstock said that a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the derailment outside the East Falls Church Metro Station “is just one more example of the lack of safety culture that must be changed.”