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Hearing: The Washington Metro System: Safety, Service and Stability

“On Wednesday, April 21, 2010 the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing entitled The Washington Metro System: Safety, Service and Stability, to examine the challenges facing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as it transitions under new leadership. The Committee addressed WMATA’s efforts to improve safety and service in the wake of a spate of accidents that have occurred within the Metro system over the past year; the short and long-term solutions for addressing the budget shortfall currently confronting WMATA; and the process for selecting a permanent General Manager for WMATA and establishing effective long term leadership.”

  • Opening Statement of Chairman Edolphus Towns: “The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (“WMATA”) operates the second largest rail transit system in the country, second only to the New York subway system. WMATA also runs the fifth largest bus system. For a long time now, it has been a clean, reliable, and safe system. But there are indications that the system is deteriorating. On June 22, 2009, a Metrorail train slammed into another train near the Fort Totten station. Nine people were killed and 80 were injured. It was the worst accident in Metro’s history. In January of this year, two maintenance workers were killed as they worked on the tracks. In total, 15 people have lost their lives on the Metrorail system over the past year. Something clearly is wrong.”
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