Metro has allowed some personnel to operate trains without meeting safety requirements laid out in their certification, according to a report released Wednesday by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC).
Certification requirements ensure operators have the knowledge and skills to safely use trains in both normal and emergency situations. The lack of proper certification could lead to collisions and other safety issues, the report said.
The investigation identified a handful of incidents where operators were improperly certified, including the 2015 fatal smoke accident near L’Enfant Plaza Station. Following the accident, which left one person dead and dozens injured, Metro added an environmental system shutoff demonstration to its certification requirements, according to the report.
Shutting down the environmental system as soon as possible protects passengers and personnel from smoke or other contaminants that would otherwise more quickly enter the train. But the report found this task demonstration is not being carried out for all train operators during certification.
“The WMSC’s review of certification records for several other operators who were also involved in safety events similarly showed that they had not been required to demonstrate the ability to carry out this safety task,” the report said.
An April 2022 Rail Operations Audit found that Metro had stopped conducting train operator certifications entirely and that operators did not have up-to-date certifications under Metro rules. While Metro committed to addressing certification issues for 257 employees following the audit, Wednesday’s report found inconsistent certification not meeting safety requirements.
The order from the commission requires Metro to identify employees within 30 days who have not been properly certified, conduct proper certifications for those employees within 90 days and develop an action plan to ensure certification consistently meets safety requirements going forward.
WMSC communicated certification concerns to Metro management multiple times in 2023 and in 2024, the report said. Metro said in a statement it has received the safety commission’s order.
“Today, we received an Order from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) regarding train operator certification,” the statement said. “At last week’s Board meeting, we proactively shared the steps we are taking to address these concerns while we continue to work with the WMSC.”
