Since a 2009 Red Line crash that killed 9 people, Metro train operators have manually stopped & started trains instead of it being automated. New documents released today show #wmata wants to bring automation back, saying it would prevent red light overruns.
Metro says changes since 2009 mean it would be safer to use automation and #wmata feels there would be an increase in safety and not a decrease if they returned to using it.
A faulty track circuit caused a train to "disappear" from the system in 2009, leading one automated train to slam into another. Metro says every track circuit of the type that failed has now been removed. #wmata
"Automatic Train Operation" was not determined to be the direct cause of the 2009 accident near Fort Totten, but poor maintenance and engineering issues on the system ATO relied on. Metro says it is confident those issues have been addressed. #wmata
If all goes according to plan and Metro gets approval from its overseer @MetrorailSafety, the #wmata plan is to launch automatic train operation on the Red Line this coming spring and start it on all other lines during the last three months of 2023.
Metro also plans to bring back automated doors next year - they would automatically open on platforms but the train's operator would manually shut them. Right now operators both open and shut them manually and Metro says automation would save time. #wmata
Here are more details on the Metro plan to bring back automatic train operation. #wmata wjla.com/news/local/met…
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