Washington, D.C. (September 10, 2018) – At its meeting today, the Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC) authorized staff to submit the agency’s application for certification of its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
The application is an important step for the MSC to assume safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail system from the FTA. The MSC intends to meet FTA’s September 30 target date to ensure the federal agency has time to review the certification documents and conduct an effective transition of safety oversight responsibilities well before the April 15, 2019 statutory deadline for SSO Program certification.
“The actions we took today are the culmination of an aggressive schedule over the past several months to grow and shape this new organization,” said MSC Chairman Christopher Hart. “I am very pleased that we are now setting in motion our certification by the FTA, which we hope to receive by spring of 2019, so that we can officially begin our safety oversight program.”
The remaining steps before the FTA’s April 15, 2019 deadline for certification are: submission of the application to the FTA, an FTA-led ‘knowledge transfer’ to the MSC, and a validation by the FTA of the MSC’s technical capacity to carry out its program. Certification of the MSC SSO Program will trigger the release of transit funds currently being withheld from area jurisdictions by the FTA for not meeting an earlier deadline to establish an SSO program for WMATA.
“MSC staff have been working closely with the FTA and area jurisdictions, and we are well-positioned for the steps that lie ahead on the path toward certification and our future program to provide safety oversight of the Metrorail system,” said MSC Chief Executive Officer David L. Mayer.
In addition, the MSC announced the hiring of new senior staff members and technical subject matter experts, and the Commissioners approved staffing contracts with two firms to support the new, independent body and demonstrate to the FTA the MSC’s technical capacity to assume its oversight role.
The MSC was created by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to serve as the State Safety Oversight Agency for the Metrorail system. Since its inaugural meeting in March, the MSC has elected officers, hired a CEO and technical staff, adopted bylaws and policies, and worked with the FTA and jurisdictions to prepare its application packet for certification. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has been supporting the jurisdictions and the FTA in establishing the MSC.
CONTACT:
Please direct all media inquiries regarding the Metrorail Safety Commission to MSC Counsel Allison Fultz: afultz@kaplankirsch.com, (202) 955-5600