Members of National Capital Region Delegation Request Details of WMATA's SafeTrack Maintenance Plan
Washington, DC,
May 11, 2016
Today Congressman Gerry Connolly and members of the region's Congressional delegation sent a bipartisan letter to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager Paul Wiedefeld with a list of detailed questions regarding the recently announced SafeTrack maintenance plan to increase safety in the Metrorail system. Read more.
Today Congressman Gerry Connolly and members of the region’s Congressional delegation sent a bipartisan letter to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager Paul Wiedefeld with a list of detailed questions regarding the recently announced SafeTrack maintenance plan to increase safety in the Metrorail system. “We understand the challenges you face and have worked to provide federal resources to make critical safety and maintenance repairs on the system, particularly in the wake of the 2009 Fort Totten accident,” the Members wrote. “Unfortunately, while WMATA has made progress on National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Transit Administration recommendations since that time, it has failed to make broad, systemic reforms to identify and manage risk and ensure a top-to-bottom culture of safety.” They continued, “This new accelerated maintenance plan must be part of that systemic reform, and must deliver improved safety and reliability for the riders who are rapidly losing confidence in the system.” In addition to Congressman Connolly, the letter was signed by Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Donna F. Edwards (D-MD), John Delaney (D-MD), Don Beyer (D-VA) and Barbara Comstock (R-VA). The full text of the letter is below: Dear Mr. Wiedefeld, We are writing with respect to the proposed SafeTrack accelerated maintenance plan that you released on Friday. We appreciate the opportunity to review the plan and assess its impact on our constituents, including federal employees, who depend on WMATA service. We understand the challenges you face and have worked to provide federal resources to make critical safety and maintenance repairs on the system, particularly in the wake of the 2009 Fort Totten accident. Unfortunately, while WMATA has made progress on National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Transit Administration recommendations since that time, it has failed to make broad, systemic reforms to identify and manage risk and ensure a top-to-bottom culture of safety. This new accelerated maintenance plan must be part of that systemic reform, and must deliver improved safety and reliability for the riders who are rapidly losing confidence in the system. To that end, we request some additional details on the plan and how it fits into the larger WMATA operations and maintenance effort:
Thank you for your attention to these questions. WMATA is a critical service for our constituents and our communities, and we are committed to working with you to restore the system. We look forward to your response and discussing these issues in more detail at your earliest convenience. |