Railroad Accident Report
Collision Between Two Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority Trains at the Woodley Park-
Zoo/Adams Morgan Station in Washington, D.C.
November 3, 2004

NTSB Number RAR-06/01
NTIS Number PB2006-916301
PDF Document(3 MB)

Executive Summary: On Wednesday, November 3, 2004, about 12:49 p.m., eastern standard time, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail train 703 collided with train 105 at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station in Washington, D.C. Train 703 was traveling outbound on the Red-Line segment of the Metrorail system and ascending the grade between the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and the Cleveland Park underground stations, when it rolled backwards about 2,246 feet and struck train 105 at a speed of about 36 mph. Train 703 was operating as a nonrevenue train; that is, it was not carrying passengers. Train 105, a revenue train, was in the process of discharging and loading passengers at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station. There were about 70
passengers on board train 105. Some passengers had exited the train just before or during the collision. The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Service transported about 20 persons to local hospitals. Estimated property damages were $3,463,183.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the November 3, 2004, collision between two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority trains at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station was the failure of the operator of train 703 to apply the brakes to stop the train, likely due to his reduced alertness. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a rollback protection feature to stop the train when operated in the manual mode.

In its investigation of this accident, the Safety Board examined the following safety issues:

• The lack of a rollback protection feature when trains are operated in the manual mode,
• Operator performance,
• The lack of passenger emergency exit standards in the transit industry, and
• The crashworthiness of Metrorail 1000-series railcars.

As a result of its investigation of this accident, the Safety Board makes recommendations to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Federal Transit Administration. On November 22, 2004, the Board issued Urgent Safety Recommendation R-04-9 to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.