Smoke incident near L'Enfant Plaza 1/12/201

A press release from Metro: http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/P ... aseID=5921

A story in the WP that I missed: it discusses Metro's efforts to replace all of its old cables with low smoke cables. It also mentions something I was not aware of: Metro replacing its steel third rails with some other material, but it didn't go into depth about that aspect. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tra ... story.html

"JDC"
It also mentions something I was not aware of: Metro replacing its steel third rails with some other material, but it didn't go into depth about that aspect.

WMATA has been replacing the original third rail with a third rail of the same cross section with an aluminum bar bolted to the web.



The picture above is the third on the Silver line.

NTSB has issued another critical interim safety recommendation to Metro, based on the Courthouse and L'Enfant Plaza arcing events: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr- ... o/?hpid=z3.

The failure to follow written procedure is going to have major consequences, IMO. Washington Post with more info on the NTSB findings: NTSB recommends Metro make emergency fixes to power lines. Excerpt:

Investigators “have found a number of other power-cable connector assemblies throughout” the subway that were “constructed without sealing sleeves,” the board said.

Contrary to its own engineering specifications, “WMATA has allowed maintenance crews and contractors to use various types of . . . sealing methods,” including “heat shrink tubing and electrical tape used in place of the sealing sleeves,” the NTSB said.

After a Feb. 11 smoke incident near the Court House station in Virginia, the board said, “investigators found that the failed ­power-cable connector assembly . . . was missing its sealing sleeve.” And after the Jan. 12 incident, the NTSB said, “even the post-accident repairs made to the power-cable connector assembly at L’Enfant Plaza did not include the sealing sleeves indicated in the WMATA engineering design specifications.”

My immediate reaction reading this report: WTF? These are power cables. You don't take shortcuts on this sort of stuff.

The immediate blowback: Congressional delegation sets a 30-day deadline for Metro. Excerpt:

In their letter to Metro, the 13 members who represent the Washington region in Congress gave the transit agency a 30-day deadline to set a timeline and cost for the work and to explain why Metro failed to follow its own procedures in the first place.

“We are appalled that riders’ lives may have been put at risk simply because a small, yet critical component of the power cable connectors was not installed as required by the manufacturer’s directions and WMATA engineering specifications,” the members wrote. “Immediate action must be taken to protect the safety of all riders and ensure that we do not have repeated incidents.”

Heads are going to roll.

Heads won't roll, this is Metro we're talking about. Management will blame workers and shield themselves. Even if the rank and file gets fired they'll just get the union to reinstate after a lengthy legal battle. There is absolutely no accountability in this agency.

Today was the first day of the NTSB's hearing into the L'Enfant Plaza incident. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tra ... story.html. I listened to some of it, and it was clear that Metro has spent a lot of time preparing its witnesses. Still, there is nothing in here that makes Metro look good.

A "peer review" report issued recently, slamming Metro for its chaotic operations center (ROCC), lack of training, and lack of procedures. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tr ... story.html

Have any heads rolled for this yet? I could be wrong, but I don't think I've read or heard about anything. As per usual, Metro has managed to hold nobody accountable for a major failure. They've blamed everyone but themselves. And they've talked a lot about how serious they take these things. The board has done nothing. Management has done nothing. The dead weight employees do nothing. And the comparatively few good workers have to suffer along with the passengers.

MCL1981 wrote:Have any heads rolled for this yet? I could be wrong, but I don't think I've read or heard about anything. As per usual, Metro has managed to hold nobody accountable for a major failure. They've blamed everyone but themselves. And they've talked a lot about how serious they take these things. The board has done nothing. Management has done nothing. The dead weight employees do nothing. And the comparatively few good workers have to suffer along with the passengers.

I believe two people resigned, likely through pressure: the person operating Metro's track inspection vehicle that accidentally deleted the black flag warning for this section of track, and that person's supervisor.

The TGV employee really isn't at fault here as he was simply following the rules. It's the managers and supervisors that need to be canned.

James Dougherty is gone at least. Rob Troup should have been canned too but that would cause even more instability that would damage their efforts to hire the new GM and CSO.

Those two scapegoats were involved in the derailment. Nothing to do with the smoke incident in this thread.

MCL1981 wrote:Those two scapegoats were involved in the derailment. Nothing to do with the smoke incident in this thread.

Opps. Absolutely correct. I assumed, clearly incorrectly, that the poster was asking about the derailment, not the smoke incident (despite the thread). My mistake!