The Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC), the new, independent body that will be responsible for safety oversight of the Metrorail system, held its inaugural board meeting on March 13. COG, which hosted the gathering in its Walter A. Scheiber Board Room, has continued to help the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia establish the commission.
At the start of the meeting, the commissioners were officially seated after confirming they had been sworn in by their respective jurisdictions. The commissioners then took several actions, including the adoption of bylaws as well as policies on conflicts of interest, open meetings, and the Freedom of Information Act. The MSC Board also designated Allison Fultz of Kaplan, Kirsch, Rockwell, which has been providing legal support, as Acting Secretary until the commission elects someone for that position.
Moving forward, the commissioners have set an aggressive schedule to stand up the MSC and are focused on hiring an executive director and staffing the commission. Staff members from the District, Maryland, and Virginia, with assistance from COG, have been working on developing documents and completing the work required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to certify the commission as the new State Safety Oversight agency for Metro. Officials anticipate the MSC will submit the required certification documents to the FTA ahead of a September 30 deadline.
The MSC will have the power to order immediate corrective safety actions, investigate hazards and accidents, and issue fines once it assumes safety oversight of Metro from the FTA. Certification will also release transit dollars currently being withheld from the states by FTA for not meeting an earlier deadline.
The commission was created last year after the District, Maryland, and Virginia enacted identical legislation and the president signed a congressional resolution allowing the jurisdictions to enter into an interstate compact.
Metrorail Safety Commission Board
District of Columbia
- Robert Bobb
- Christopher Hart
- Chris Geldart (alternate)
Maryland
- Debra Farrar-Dyke
- Howard Roberts
- John Contestabile (alternate)
Virginia
- Greg Hull
- Mark V. Rosenker
- TBD (alternate)