DC metro trains collide, killing 4 and wounding 70

[samanthajane13]

By BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press Writer Brett Zongker, Associated Press Writer – 50 mins ago

WASHINGTON – One Metro transit train smashed into the rear of another at the height of Washington's Monday evening rush hour, killing at least four people and injuring scores of others as cars of the trailing train jackknifed into the air and fell atop the first.

District of Columbia fire spokesman Alan Etter said crews were cutting apart the trains to get people out in what he described as a "mass casualty event." Rescue workers propped steel ladders up to the upper train cars to help survivors escape. Seats from the smashed cars had spilled out onto the track.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said four were dead and many more hurt. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said rescue workers had treated 70 people at the scene and sent some of them to local hospitals, two with life-threatening injuries. A Metro official the dead included the female operator of the trailing train. Her name was not immediately released.

The crash around 5 p.m. EDT took place on the system's red line, Metro's busiest, which runs below ground for much of its length but is at ground level at the site near the Maryland border.

Metro chief John Cato said the first train was stopped on the tracks, waiting for another to clear the station ahead, when the trailing train plowed into it from behind. Officials had no explanation for the accident.

Passenger Jodie Wickett, a nurse, told CNN she was seated on one train, sending text messages on her phone, when she felt the impact. She said she texted someone that it felt like the train had hit a bump.

"From that point on, it happened so fast, I flew out of the seat and hit my head." Wickett said she stayed at the scene and tried to help. She said "people are just in very bad shape."

"The people that were hurt, the ones that could speak, were calling back as we called out to them," she said. "Lots of people were upset and crying, but there were no screams."

One man said he was riding a bicycle across a bridge over the Metro tracks when the sound of the collision got his attention.

"I didn't see any panic," Barry Student said. "The whole situation was so surreal."

Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said less than two hours after the crash that federal authorities had no indication of any terrorism connection.

Metro general manager John Catoe said at least 60 people had been taken off the trains.

"I don't know the reason for this accident," he said. "I would still say the system is safe, but we've had an incident."

The only other time in Metrorail's 33-year history that there were customer fatalities was in January 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metro stations underneath downtown.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/...ain_derailment

[One2Snoop]

Update -

DC transit train smashes into another, killing 6
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_dc_met...JhbnNpdHRyYQ--

[samanthajane13]

Thanks for the update, O2S!!!

[samanthajane13]

Investigators probe capital's worst subway crash
By BRETT ZONGKER and MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writers Brett Zongker And Michael J. Sniffen, Associated Press Writers – 32 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The worst accident in 33-year history of Metrorail, Washington's subway system, is under investigation by authorities trying to determine why a train plowed into the rear of another, killing at least nine people and injuring scores of others.

A District of Columbia Fire Department Web site said rescue workers located three bodies in the wreckage late Monday night. All three were declared dead at the scene.

Earlier Monday, officials confirmed six deaths, including the operator of the trailing train, Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, Va. Metro spokesman Steve Taubenkibel said McMillan had been a Metro employee since January 2007.

Debbie Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators would cast a wide net, including checking operator procedures and track signals, interviewing witnesses and inspecting the tracks themselves. She said officials also were searching the wreckage for devices on the trains that record operating speeds and commands.

"It is a scene of real devastation," she said of the crash, which ripped open passenger cars when the trains smashed together. More details were expected at a Tuesday morning news conference.

During the evening rush hour, one train was stopped on the tracks, waiting for another to clear the station ahead, when a trailing train plowed into it from behind, Metro general manager John Catoe said.

Catoe said an automated computer system used to run trains was supposed to keep them apart, but it was not clear whether the system was in use when the crash occurred.

People inside some of the cars were banging on the windows trying to get out, said Jervis Bryant of Upper Marlboro, Md., who was in the area at the time.

Bryant said he ran over to help, but couldn't get close enough to reach the passengers. He said some eventually began exiting the trains.

"It's a scene I never thought I would see," said Bryant, who frequently rides the Metro. "It was more frightening to watch and not to be able to help."

More than 200 firefighters from D.C., Maryland and Virginia eventually converged on the scene. Sabrina Webber, a 45-year-old real estate agent who lives in the neighborhood, said she raced to the scene after hearing a loud boom like a "thunder crash" and then sirens. She said there was no panic among the survivors.

The crash around 5 p.m. took place on the system's red line, Metro's busiest, which runs below ground for much of its length but is at ground level at the accident site near the Maryland state line in northeast Washington.

Officials would not say how fast the train was traveling at the time of the accident. The crash occurred in an area with a sizable distance between rail stations in which trains are allowed to travel at higher speeds, Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said.

Each train had six cars and was capable of holding as many as 1,200 people. Hersman said the trains were bound for downtown. That would mean they were less likely to be filled during the afternoon rush hour.

The trains had pulled out of the Takoma Park station and were headed in the direction of the Fort Totten station.

The only other time in Metrorail's 33-year history that there were passenger fatalities was on Jan. 13, 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment beneath downtown. That was a day of disaster in the capital: Shortly before the subway crash, an Air Florida plane slammed into the 14th Street Bridge immediately after takeoff from Washington National Airport across the Potomac River. The plane crash, during a severe snowstorm, killed 78 people.

In January 2007, a subway train derailed in downtown Washington, sending 20 people to the hospital and prompting the rescue of 60 others from the tunnel. In November 2006, two Metro track workers were struck and killed by an out-of-service train. An investigation found that the train operator failed to follow safety procedures. Another Metro worker was struck and killed in May 2006.

___

Associated Press writers Brett J. Blackledge, Eileen Sullivan, Richard Lardner, Jim Kuhnhenn and Seth Borenstein in Washington and AP researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

Metrorail: http://www.wmata.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090623/...ain_derailment

[One2Snoop]

Each train had six cars and was capable of holding as many as 1,200 people. Hersman said the trains were bound for downtown. That would mean they were less likely to be filled during the afternoon rush hour.

Not that it makes this tragedy any better, hearing that the red line was headed downtown certainly curtailed the number of deaths. Had it been going the opposite direction, fatalities would've been in the hundreds!

[One2Snoop]

NTSB: Train in crash was recommended for phaseout

By BRIAN WITTE, Associated Press Writer Brian Witte, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 46 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The subway train that plowed into another stopped train, killing at least seven people and injuring scores of others in the nation's capital, was part of an aging fleet that federal officials had sought to phase out because of safety concerns, an investigator said Tuesday.

But the Metrorail transit system kept the old trains running despite warnings in 2006, said Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The rush-hour crash sent more than 70 people to hospitals. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced Tuesday that seven had died, including the operator of the moving train. Earlier, the District of Columbia Fire Department Web site announced that three bodies had been found in addition to the six fatalities reported Monday.

Fenty said two victims were hospitalized in critical condition.

Hersman said investigators expect to recover recorders from the train that was struck. The train that triggered the collision was part of an old fleet that was not equipped with the devices, which can provide valuable information to determine why the crash occurred, Hersman said.

She told The Associated Press that the NTSB had warned of safety problems and recommended the old fleet be phased out or retrofitted to make it better withstand a crash. Neither was done, she said, which the NTSB considered "unacceptable."

It was the worst crash in the history of Metrorail, the pride of the District of Colombia tourism industry that has shuttled tourists and commuters around Washington and to Maryland and Virginia suburbs for more than three decades.

The operator of the train that barreled into the stopped cars was identified as Jeanice McMillan, 44, of Springfield, Va., according to Metro officials.

McMillan was hired in March 2007 as a bus driver and was tapped to become a train operator in December. Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said employees start out as bus drivers before moving to trains.

One of McMillan's neighbors said she was proud of her job and was a meticulous mother who ironed her Metro uniform every night.

"If she could have stopped the train, she would have done everything in her power," said Joanne Harrison, who lives across the hall from McMillan.

She put a note, decorated with purple ribbons and hearts, on McMillan's door.

"Your friendly smile and your appealing welcome will always be dear to our hearts," the note said. "Don't you worry, we will take care of Jordan, your only child, your only love."

Passenger Maya Maroto, 31, was riding on McMillan's train.

"We were going full speed — I didn't hear any braking. Everything was just going normally. Then there was a very loud impact. We all fell out of our seats. Then the train filled up with smoke. I was coughing," Maroto said.

Maroto, of Burtonsville, Md., said there was confusion after the impact because no announcements were immediately made. She said some passengers wanted to climb out, but others were afraid of being electrocuted by a rail.

Tijuana Cox, 21, was in the train that was hit. She had her sprained arm in a sling Tuesday.

"Everybody just went forward and came back," with people's knees hitting the seats in front of them, said Cox, of Lanham, Md.

The only other fatal crash in the Metro subway system occurred Jan. 13, 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment. That was a day of disaster in the capital: Shortly before the subway crash, an Air Florida plane slammed into the 14th Street Bridge immediately after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The plane crash, during a severe snowstorm, killed 78 people.

In January 2007, a subway train derailed in downtown Washington, sending 20 people to the hospital and prompting the rescue of 60 others from the tunnel. In November 2006, two Metro track workers were struck and killed by an out-of-service train. An investigation found that the train operator failed to follow safety procedures. Another Metro worker was struck and killed in May 2006.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090623/...ain_derailment

[samanthajane13]

Driver of DC train that hit stopped cars loved job

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – The Metro train operator who was driving the cars that barreled into a stopped train is being remembered as an employee who was proud of her job.

Metro officials said Tuesday that 42-year-old Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, Va., was killed in the crash. Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith says McMillan was hired in March 2007 as a bus driver and was tapped to become a train operator in December.

One of McMillan's neighbors says the train operator was a meticulous mother who ironed her Metro uniform each night.

Joanne Harrison lives in an apartment across from McMillan. She says McMillan would have done everything in her power to stop the train if she could have.

The neighbor says McMillan is survived by a son, Jordan, who is in college.

(This version CORRECTS that Jeanice McMillan was 42)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090623/...ment_conductor

[samanthajane13]

5 of those killed in DC metro crash identified

WASHINGTON – Officials are identifying five of the victims killed in a subway train crash in Washington, D.C.

Metro officials said at a special board meeting Tuesday that four passengers ranging in age from 23 to 64 were killed when a train barreling down the tracks hit a stopped train a day earlier. The operator of the train that was moving has been identified as Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va.

The passengers who were killed were Mary Doolittle, 59, of northwest Washington; Ana Fernandez, 40, of Hyattsville, Md.; Dennis Hawkins, 64, of southeast Washington and Lavonda King, 23, of northeast D.C.

It was not immediately clear whether the passengers were on the train that was moving or the one that was stopped awaiting the train ahead of it to clear a station.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090623/...ilment_victims

[samanthajane13]

Computer failure may have caused D.C. train crash
By SARAH KARUSH and BRIAN WESTLEY, Associated Press Writers Sarah Karush And Brian Westley, Associated Press Writers – 41 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains focused Tuesday on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, and why the train failed to stop even though the emergency brake was pressed.

At the time of the crash, the train was also operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond in case of an emergency.

Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was unclear if the emergency brake was actually engaged when Monday's crash occurred. But the mushroom-shaped button that activates it was found pushed down in the operator's compartment.

The train plowed into a stopped train ahead of it at the height of the Monday evening rush hour, killing nine people and injuring more than 70. It was the deadliest accident in the 30-year history of the Metro.

Crews spent Tuesday pulling apart the trains' wreckage and searching for victims' bodies. And authorities worked to determine why the train's safeguards apparently did not kick in.

"That train was never supposed to get closer than 1,200 feet, period," said Jackie Jeter, president of a union that represents Metro workers.

On Tuesday, all Metro trains were running on manual control as a precaution against computer malfunction.

The cars in the moving train were some of the oldest in the transit network, dating to the founding of the Metro system.

Federal officials had sought to phase out the aging fleet because of safety concerns, but the transit system kept the old trains running, saying it lacked the money for new cars.

Hersman told The Associated Press that the NTSB had warned in 2006 that the old fleet should be replaced or retrofitted to make it better able to survive a crash.

Neither was done, she said, which the NTSB considered "unacceptable."

Metro General Manager John Catoe said the agency expected to receive proposals "over the next month or so" to replace the old cars, but new trains were still years away from being installed. He insisted the existing cars were safe.

This isn't the first time that Metro's automated system has been called into question.

In June 2005, Metro experienced a close call because of signal troubles in a tunnel under the Potomac River. A train operator noticed he was getting too close to the train ahead of him even though the system indicated the track was clear. He hit the emergency brake in time, as did the operator of another train behind him.

Shortly after that incident, Metro attributed the problem to a defective communications cable.

The signal relays that control trains were replaced after a serious safety warning in May 2000 by the Federal Railroad Administration. The warning came after failed relays were detected on the system, formally known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The operator of the train that barreled into the stopped cars Monday was identified as Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., according to Metro officials.

McMillan was hired in March 2007 as a bus driver and was tapped to become a train operator in December. Metro officials say employees start out as bus drivers before moving to trains.

Investigators want McMillan's cell phone and texting records to determine whether she was distracted before the crash, Hersman said.

Safety officials also are investigating a passenger's statement that the train had stopped briefly then started again before the crash.

Ayesha Thomas, a Metro employee who worked with McMillan, said McMillan would often work the late shift. She did not have a car and if she was unable to get a ride home, she would sleep at Metro's offices, take the first train to Franconia, Va., and return to work later that day.

A neighbor, Aicha Mezlini, said McMillan was killed driving the first train on her 4 p.m.-to-11 p.m. shift. She said McMillan normally worked Tuesday and Wednesday, but last week Metro changed her shift to Monday.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that this driver has done anything to cause this accident," Catoe said Tuesday.

The crash occurred on the red line near the D.C. and Maryland border, in an area where higher train speeds are common because there is a longer distance between stops. Trains can go 55 to 59 mph, though it was not clear how fast the train that crashed was traveling.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, emergency crews cut away the top of the train that jackknifed on top of a stopped train. They removed the debris with help from a crane brought in overnight.

"The scene that I witnessed was one that no one should have to see," Catoe said. "It was unbelievable destruction."

Later, his voice choked with emotion as he addressed hundreds of employees at a prayer vigil Tuesday. He told them the agency will find out what caused the accident and develop a solution.

"We cannot afford to lose any more of our own, or any more of our customers," Catoe said. "I need your prayers. This agency needs your prayers."

Metro has long pleaded for more funding to ensure the system's safety. The transit network is supported by the District of Columbia, Maryland and the Virginia jurisdictions that it serves. However, unlike other major systems, Metro has no dedicated funding source.

Metro officials have long argued that the federal government should contribute because the trains serve the capital, and some 40 percent of rush-hour riders are federal workers.

Catoe said last year it would take $7 billion just to maintain current service and keep the system running safely and reliably from 2010 to 2020. That includes replacements for aging rail cars.

It would take billions more, he said, to deploy longer trains and more buses to meet the projected increase in demand. The number of trips taken on Metro trains is expected to grow 22 percent to about 1 million a day by 2020.

Some passengers involved in Monday's crash returned to the site Tuesday to get another look at the destruction.

Jamie Jiao, 20, of Vienna, Va., said he was aboard the first car of the moving train just a few feet from where the car was smashed.

"It was only a split second," he said. "We were probably traveling pretty fast. No one had time to react."

Jiao had two bandages on his face, and his foot was in a splint. He was walking with a cane and complained of aches in his back. "I'm thankful it isn't more serious," he said.

Tijuana Cox, 21, was in the train that was hit. She had her sprained arm in a sling Tuesday.

"Everybody just went forward and came back," with people's knees hitting the seats in front of them, said Cox, of Lanham, Md.

The only other fatal crash in the Metro subway system occurred Jan. 13, 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment. That was a day of disaster in the capital: Shortly before the subway crash, an Air Florida plane slammed into the 14th Street Bridge immediately after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The plane crash, during a severe snowstorm, killed 78 people.

In January 2007, a subway train derailed in downtown Washington, sending 20 people to the hospital and requiring the rescue of 60 others from the tunnel.

In November 2006, two Metro track workers were struck and killed by an out-of-service train. An investigation found that the train operator failed to follow safety procedures. Another Metro worker was struck and killed in May 2006.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Witte, Brett Zongker, Matthew Barakat, Gillian Gaynair, Alex Dominguez and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090624/...ain_derailment

[samanthajane13]

Metro driver killed in D.C. crash was Buffalo native
By Lou Michel
News Staff Reporter

Jeanice McMillan, who was at the helm of the Washington, D.C. Metro train that slammed into the back of another train in that city on Monday, was a former Buffalo resident who graduated from Turner Carroll High School and Niagara University, family members said today.

Members of the McMillan family in Buffalo set off for Washington today for the grim task of claiming the body of McMillan, one of nine people killed in the fatal crash late Monday afternoon.

McMillan, 42, left Buffalo several years ago to work for the U.S. Postal Service. About two years ago, she switched careers, becoming a conductor for Metro, according to her relatives. Metro officials said that McMillan began working as a train operator Dec. 8.

"We won't know the cause of the train accident until we get there," her paternal aunt, Jeannette Pettway, said on her cell phone as she drove down to Washington this afternoon. Pettway added that the family is devastated by the loss.

"She was a sweet person, a very sweet person," Pettway said.

That same sentiment came from numerous Metro drivers who posted comments about the crash online, describing McMillan as a sweet person and saying she will be missed, the Washington Post reported today.

McMillan so looked forward to work each morning that she would meticulously iron her Metro uniform the night before, The Post also reported. When driving a bus route in Northern Virginia in recent years, she would tell friends how much she enjoyed interacting with passengers.

One neighbor who knew her well told The Post that McMillan would have done "anything in her power" to prevent the accident.

"She was so proud of her job, and she truly loved her passengers," said Joanne Harrison, who has lived across the hall from McMillan's apartment for five years and became a close friend. "If she had survived, she would have gone to each and every one of those people who were hurt, and the families of those who died, and she would have hugged them and cried with them."

Harrison said McMillan was always smiling and left for work every morning without any makeup but with her hair just so and her nails done perfectly. When she drove a bus in Northern Virginia — a route that took her through Alexandria and around the Pentagon — McMillan would often return from work talking about how much her passengers loved her and how she wanted to talk to all of them about their days and their problems.

"She loved making everyone smile and be happy," Harrison said. "She was just a happy person. She loved making everyone feel comfortable. I admired her so much."

McMillan's parents, Gerald and Betty McMillan, flew to Washington this morning, and other family members are driving down there today.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.


http://www.buffalonews.com/377/story/712255.html


RIP, Jeanice!
It wasn't your fault.

[samanthajane13]

Computer Failure Eyed in D.C. Crash
By SARAH KARUSH and BRIAN WESTLEY, AP

WASHINGTON (June 23) - Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains focused Tuesday on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, even though there is evidence that the operator tried to slow it down.

At the time of the crash, the train was also operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond to emergencies.

Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was unclear if the emergency brake was actually engaged when Monday's crash occurred. But the mushroom-shaped button that activates it was found pushed down in the operator's compartment.

Hersman said it wasn't clear when the button was pressed or how it got that way. She also said there was evidence of braking on the train's rotors, indicating it was likely that the operator tried to slow down.

The train plowed into a stopped train ahead of it at the height of the Monday evening rush hour, killing nine people and injuring more than 70 in the deadliest accident in the 30-year history of the Metro.

Crews spent Tuesday pulling apart the wreckage and searching for bodies. Authorities also worked to determine why the train's safeguards apparently did not kick in.

"That train was never supposed to get closer than 1,200 feet, period," said Jackie Jeter, president of a union that represents Metro workers.

All Metro trains were running on manual control Tuesday as a precaution against computer malfunction.

The cars in the moving train were some of the oldest in the transit network, dating to the founding of the system.

Federal officials had sought to phase out the aging fleet because of safety concerns, but the transit system kept the old trains running, saying it lacked money for new cars.

Hersman told The Associated Press that the NTSB had warned in 2006 that the old fleet should be replaced or retrofitted to make it better able to survive a crash.

Neither was done, she said, which the NTSB considered "unacceptable."

Metro General Manager John Catoe said the agency expected to receive proposals "over the next month or so" to replace the old cars, but new trains were still years away from being installed. He insisted the existing cars were safe.

This isn't the first time that Metro's automated system has been questioned.

In June 2005, Metro had a close call because of signal troubles in a tunnel under the Potomac River. A conductor noticed he was getting too close to the train ahead of him even though the system indicated the track was clear.

He hit the emergency brake in time, as did the operator of a train behind him.
Shortly afterward, Metro attributed the problem to a defective communications cable.

The signal relays that control trains were replaced after a serious safety warning in May 2000 by the Federal Railroad Administration. The warning came after failed relays were detected on the system, formally known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The operator of the train that barreled into the stopped cars Monday was identified as Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., according to Metro officials.

McMillan was hired in January 2007 as a bus driver and was tapped to become a train operator in January 2009, the NTSB said. McMillan completed training and began working as an operator in March. Metro officials say employees start out as bus drivers before moving to trains.

Investigators want McMillan's cell phone and texting records to determine whether she was distracted before the crash, Hersman said.

Safety officials also are investigating a passenger's statement that the train had stopped briefly then started again before the crash.

Iyesha Thomas, a Metro employee who worked with McMillan, said McMillan would often work the late shift. She did not have a car and if she was unable to get a ride home, she would sleep at Metro's offices, take the first train to Franconia, Va., and return to work later that day.

A neighbor, Aicha Mezlini, said McMillan was killed driving the first train on her 4 p.m.-to-11 p.m. shift. She said McMillan normally worked Tuesday and Wednesday, but last week Metro changed her shift to Monday.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that this driver has done anything to cause this accident," Catoe said Tuesday.

The crash occurred on the red line near the D.C. and Maryland border, in an area where higher train speeds are common because there is a longer
distance between stops. Trains can go 55 to 59 mph, though it was not clear how fast the train that crashed was traveling.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, emergency crews cut away the top of the train that jackknifed on top of a stopped train. They removed the debris with help from a crane brought in overnight.

"The scene that I witnessed was one that no one should have to see," Catoe said. "It was unbelievable destruction."


Continued...

[samanthajane13]

Later, his voice choked with emotion as he addressed hundreds of employees at a prayer vigil Tuesday. He told them the agency will find out what caused the accident and develop a solution.

"We cannot afford to lose any more of our own, or any more of our customers," Catoe said. "I need your prayers. This agency needs your prayers."

Metro has long pleaded for more funding to ensure the system's safety. The transit network is supported by the District of Columbia, Maryland and the Virginia jurisdictions that it serves. However, unlike other major systems, Metro has no dedicated funding source.

Metro officials have long argued that the federal government should contribute because the trains serve the capital, and some 40 percent of rush-hour riders are federal workers.

Catoe said last year it would take $7 billion just to maintain current service and keep the system running safely and reliably from 2010 to 2020. That includes replacements for aging rail cars.

It would take billions more, he said, to deploy longer trains and more buses to meet the projected increase in demand. The number of trips taken on Metro trains is expected to grow 22 percent to about 1 million a day by 2020.

Some passengers involved in Monday's crash returned to the site Tuesday to get another look at the destruction.

Jamie Jiao, 20, of Vienna, Va., said he was aboard the first car of the moving train just a few feet from where the car was smashed.

"It was only a split second," he said. "We were probably traveling pretty fast. No one had time to react."

Jiao had two bandages on his face, and his foot was in a splint. He was walking with a cane and complained of aches in his back. "I'm thankful it isn't more serious," he said.

Tijuana Cox, 21, was in the train that was hit. She had her sprained arm in a sling Tuesday.

"Everybody just went forward and came back," with people's knees hitting the seats in front of them, said Cox, of Lanham, Md.

The only other fatal crash in the Metro subway system occurred Jan. 13, 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment. That was a day of disaster in the capital: Shortly before the subway crash, an Air Florida plane slammed into the 14th Street Bridge immediately after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The plane crash, during a severe snowstorm, killed 78 people.

In January 2007, a subway train derailed in downtown Washington, sending 20 people to the hospital and requiring the rescue of 60 others from the tunnel.

In November 2006, two Metro track workers were struck and killed by an out-of-service train. An investigation found that the train operator failed to follow safety procedures. Another Metro worker was struck and killed in May 2006.

Associated Press writers Brian Witte, Brett Zongker, Matthew Barakat, Gillian Gaynair, Alex Dominguez and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.


http://news.aol.com/article/metro-tr...ngton%2F538224

[samanthajane13]

Investigators look at 'anomalies' in track circuit
By SARAH KARUSH and BRIAN WESTLEY, Associated Press Writers Sarah Karush And Brian Westley, Associated Press Writers – 11 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Federal investigators say they are looking closely at a track circuit near where a deadly transit train crash occurred in Washington, D.C. Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board says five of six circuits, or stretches of track, in the area showed no problems during tests Wednesday. But she says there were anomalies with the sixth circuit. Hersman would not elaborate on what those might be, saying more tests are needed.

Equipment along each circuit receives signals that generate speed commands for the train. Hersman said the circuit in question is about 740 feet long.

Nine people were killed Monday when a train plowed into a train that was stopped. It was the deadliest accident in the 33-year history of the Metro.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090624/...ain_derailment

[samanthajane13]

NTSB: Metro signal system didn't detect test train
By BRIAN WESTLEY and NAFEESA SYEED, Associated Press Writers Brian Westley And Nafeesa Syeed, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 34 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The signaling system for the Washington-area transit agency failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during a deadly crash this week, federal investigators said Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board's test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash that killed nine could have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead. A statement by the NTSB did not say whether investigators think the problems were occurring before the crash, which injured dozens.

Investigators are trying to understand how the train control system was functioning when a train plowed into another that was stopped, resulting in the deadliest crash in the rail system's 33-year history. The control system provides critical information to trains such as when to stop or slow down.

The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer, although there is evidence the operator applied the emergency brake. On Thursday, investigators found streak marks on the tracks for about 125 feet leading up to the crash site, indicating "heavy braking."

The operator of the struck train told NTSB investigators Thursday that his car was running in manual mode at the time of the crash. The operator, whose name hasn't been released, said he was waiting for a train in front of him to clear when he felt a hard push to his train from behind.

The NTSB also announced that it had recovered data recorders from the struck train; none were found on the striking train.

The NTSB declined to answer further questions.

Such signal systems don't fail easily and the results raise safety concerns for transit systems nationwide, said James Moore, a civil engineering professor at the University of Southern California.

"I imagine that every transit authority nationally is taking a quiet internal review of its system," he said.

Earlier Thursday, Metro announced that it was inspecting all its tracks to make signaling problems weren't elsewhere. General Manager John Catoe said trains will run manually until crews inspect all 3,000 circuits, or sections beneath the track that include signaling equipment.

"We have to act and we're taking action," Catoe said. He said Metro hoped to conclude its inspections within a couple of weeks.

The manufacturer of Metro's signaling system is West Henrietta, N.Y.-based Alstom Signaling Inc., which has not responded this week to calls for comment.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority also uses a system made by Alstom, and last month a circuit board made by an Alstom subcontractor powering the signal system failed to detect trains on the system's orange line, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. Pesaturo said trains went into manual mode as a precaution, and workers communicated via radio from stations and trains, which caused delays.

The NTSB has also criticized Metro for failing to revamp or replace its 1000-series rail cars after previous warnings by the agency. The striking train, which sustained most of the damage, was made up of those cars dating to the 1970s. The cars are not as good at withstanding crashes as later models.

Metro told the NTSB in 2006 that it couldn't afford to replace the old cars because of an elaborate financing arrangement in which it sold the rail cars to banks and then leased them back at a discount. Metro is making lease payments until 2014.

Metro "appears to have allowed banks — rather than experts on passenger safety — to dictate what kind of trains Metro riders use and for how many years they are in service," Sen. Charles Grassley said in a letter Wednesday to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. A House subcommittee was set to hold a hearing on the crash July 14.

Metro on Thursday reopened the two stations that had been closed since the crash, but only for rush hour. Trains were running along just one track, leaving the side damaged in the crash closed.

A Washington couple who say their 15-year-old son was a passenger on the striking train sued Metro, which is formally known as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Imhotep Yakub and Dawn Flanagan say their son, Davonne Flanagan, has a fractured femur and other injuries and are seeking $950,000 in damages.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/...ain_derailment

[samanthajane13]

Control system chief reassigned following DC crash

WASHINGTON – The Washington-area transit agency has temporarily reassigned the superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes following this week's crash that killed nine people, officials said Friday.

The deadliest crash in Metrorail's 33-year history occurred Monday when a train plowed into another that was stopped. The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer.

Matthew Matyuf, who led the Automatic Train Control Division, has been temporarily assigned to a "special project," Metro officials said. They would not elaborate on what that project was.

The reassignment is not an indication of any wrongdoing, spokeswoman Candace Smith said.

"It's not meant to be a negative reflection on him at all," Smith said. "It's just a precaution until the investigation is complete."

Matyuf has worked for the transit agency for more than 20 years, Smith said.

Federal investigators said Thursday that Metro's signaling system failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during this week's deadly crash.

Test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash may have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead.

Meanwhile Friday, a memorial service was being held for the train operator who was among those killed in the crash.

The service for Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., was being held at the Temple of Praise Fellowship Hall in Washington.

"She will truly be missed by everyone she touched," said McMillan's brother Vernard, of Upper Marlboro, Md.

Jeanice McMillan and eight passengers were killed in the crash when her train barreled down the tracks and hit a stopped train. About 70 people were injured.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/...ain_derailment

[samanthajane13]

Train operator from Buffalo remembered
She is now known as 'D.C.'s Metro Hero'
Lorey Schultz
Updated: Wednesday, 01 Jul 2009, 6:28 PM EDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Buffalo native who was operating the Washington, D.C. Metro Train when it crashed last week is being remembered Wednesday night.

A musical tribute to Jan McMillan filled Mt. Olive Baptist Church, where more than a thousand mourners gathered to remember a woman who died a hero.

The Mt. Olive pastor said, "We thank God for her willingness and sacrifice."

Jan was the operator of the D.C. Metro Train that rear ended another train last week. The Buffalo native was one of nine people killed.

The other train operator spoke briefly at the service, saying because of her actions he and many others lived.

A union rep echoed his comments, "We recognize military people. Captains of ships. Well, Jeanice went down with the ship. She's our hero."

There were many touching moments, when Jan's only son, Jordan, bid his final farewell, and when a letter from the mayor of D.C. was read, "When the investigation is completed, we will find she went beyond her job." (applause)

Jan's uncle Jeffrey Murray said, "She did her job valiantly and she loved what she did, and she made the ultimate sacrifice by saving lives. She did a great job."

In the program, Jan's parents extended their sincere thanks and appreciation for the kind acts during a difficult time. They're overwhelmed by the compassion and support. They believe she rode the brakes all the way to heaven.

Jan's cousin William Martin said, "She did it. Beautful. So proud. We're mourning, but more proud than sad."

Proud because she showed incredible courage in the face of danger, which is why she's now known as 'D.C.'s Metro Hero.'

Bishop Dwight Brown of The New Mt. Ararat Temple of Prayer was the Officiant of Wednesday's Service. It was only held at Mt. Olive Baptist Church to accomodate the large crowd, truly a testimony to the life Jan lived.


http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/train_o...embered_090701


RIP, Jan!
You did the right thing and saved so many people!

[samanthajane13]

Metro: 'Anomalies' found, but DC rail system safe

WASHINGTON – The Washington Metro has found at least six spots where signaling equipment designed to detect the presence of trains on the tracks has malfunctioned since a fatal crash last month.

Metro says "anomalies" were found in six circuits other than the one at the crash site. The Washington Post identified places where problems were happening, and a Metro spokesman confirmed the information Wednesday.

However, Metro insists the problems on these circuits are not as serious as the problem at the crash site.

The signaling equipment in the crash area failed periodically in the days leading up to the accident, in which nine people were killed when one train slammed into another train that was stopped on tracks. Federal officials continue to investigate the crash.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090722/...ain_derailment