*Note: Sent under the authority of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC). The WMSC is an independent agency and not a COG board or committee; however, COG has been supporting the jurisdictions and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in establishing the WMSC.
Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2018) – Today, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) announced the formal submission of documents to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to certify its State Safety Oversight Program (SSOP) for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail system. The documents—known as a certification application—seek federal approval of the program the Commission plans to employ to ensure that Metrorail adheres to critical safety protocols and practices.
“This is a major step forward—not just for the Commission, but for the safety oversight of Metrorail,” said WMSC Chair Christopher Hart. “The submission of this application brings us ever closer to a new and enhanced safety regimen for all who rely on Metrorail, as the law requires and as this region deserves.”
The FTA has overseen the safety of the Metrorail system since October 2015, but federal law mandates that states that operate rail transit systems establish and certify a State Safety Oversight Program by April 15, 2019. If the WMSC does not meet the certification deadline, FTA will be prohibited by law from obligating any federal transit program funds to any public transportation agencies in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia until certification of the WMSC’s program is achieved.
The Commission was created in 2017 by an interstate compact between the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to serve as Metrorail’s State Safety Oversight Agency (SSOA) and institute a new safety regimen.
The WMSC now expects the FTA to review the application and decide by the April deadline whether to certify the program. The FTA and WMSC will now begin collaborating on transitioning oversight functions to the WMSC in anticipation of the application’s eventual approval.
“We are pleased to begin the next phase in putting our safety program in place, and we look forward to working with the FTA to demonstrate our technical capacity and achieve certification,” said WMSC Chief Executive Officer David L. Mayer. “After months of intense due diligence and staff work, this application shows our seriousness of purpose and our readiness to take on the critical task of Metrorail safety oversight.”
When the WMSC program is certified, the FTA will release federal transit funds that have been withheld from transit providers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia because the jurisdictions did not meet an earlier deadline to establish a federally compliant State Safety Oversight Program.
In addition, the Commission announced today that it has filled key staff positions and finalized contracts with two outside vendors who will provide additional staff as needed to support the Commission’s oversight work.
Finally, the Commission announced the adoption of the logo at the top of this release.
Contact: Zachary Radford | 202-384-1520 | zradford@wmsc.gov