NTSB Press Release

National Transportation Safety Board
Office of Public Affairs


UPDATE ON NTSB PUBLIC HEARING ON INVESTIGATION INTO JUNE 2009 FATAL COLLISION OF TWO METRORAIL TRAINS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

February 4, 2010

The National Transportation Safety Board today released additional information about the Board's scheduled public hearing as part of its ongoing investigation into the cause of the collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Red Line trains. The collision occurred on June 22, 2009, between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations in Washington, D.C. As a result of this accident, there were nine fatalities and numerous injuries.

The hearing, which will now extend to three days, will convene at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.

The agenda for the hearing, which will focus not only on the WMATA accident investigation, but also the adequacy of state and federal oversight of rail transit systems, as well as the characteristics of high reliability organizations, may be found at the end of this advisory.

Questioning the witnesses will be the Board of Inquiry, chaired by NTSB Board Member Robert L. Sumwalt, a technical panel composed of the NTSB investigative staff, and representatives from the following parties to the investigation: WMATA, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Amalgamated Transit Union, Tri-State Oversight Commission (TOC), Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Department, Alstom Signaling, Inc., and Union Switch and Signal.

Witnesses at the hearing include representatives from the following organizations: WMATA, TOC, Massachusetts Department of Public Works, Regional Transit Authority (Illinois), California Public Utilities Commission, FTA, FRA, the American Public Transportation Association,  University of California-Berkeley, U.S. Department of Energy and B&W Pantex.

NTSB Office of Public Affairs: (202) 314-6100

 

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause
of transportation accidents, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families.