December 10, 2021

Brown, Toomey, Warner, Van Hollen Press WMATA For Information On 7000 Series Railcars Following the October Derailment in Northern Virginia

Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-PA), and members of the Committee, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), in sending a letter to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CEO Paul Wiedefeld requesting information on the circumstances that resulted in the October derailment of the 7000 series metro railcar and removal of all 7000 metro railcars from service.

“It appears WMATA and Kawasaki have been aware of wheel alignment issues with the 7000 series since 2017 and WMATA has been working with Kawasaki to address the issues since that time,” the Senators wrote. “In furtherance of our oversight responsibilities and in an effort to better understand WMATA’s reaction to the wheel alignment issue, and in particular, decisions by WMATA, Kawasaki or other parties about risk factors associated with the 7000 series railcars wheel assemblies, we request WMATA provide information to the Committee.”

The Senators requested a detailed timeline of WMATA’s actions and reports and records relating to the 7000 series cars’ wheel safety.

A copy of the letter is available here and below:

Paul J. Wiedefeld

General Manager and CEO

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Dear Mr. Wiedefeld:

We write to request information about the circumstances surrounding the derailment of a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) 7000 series metro railcar in October and the order by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) to remove all 7000 series metro railcars from service.[1] 

According to a briefing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the October 12, 2021 derailment in Northern Virginia was caused by the train’s wheels shifting outward on the axle, causing the distance between the wheels to increase. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said “the potential for fatalities and serious injuries was significant,” and that “this could have resulted in a catastrophic event.”[2] The WMSC pulled the 7000 series metro railcars from service after inspections of the railcars following the derailment revealed that a number of 7000 series railcars experienced similar shifting of wheel spacing.  

Initial indications are that the wheel assembly issue impacts a specific type of railcar known as the 7000 series railcars manufactured by Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc.[3] It appears WMATA and Kawasaki have been aware of wheel alignment issues with the 7000 series since 2017 and WMATA has been working with Kawasaki to address the issues since that time.  

We fully support NTSB’s investigation into the accident and related issues concerning WMATA’s railcar maintenance, inspection, and safety protocols.

In furtherance of our oversight responsibilities and in an effort to better understand WMATA’s reaction to the wheel alignment issue, and in particular, decisions by WMATA, Kawasaki or other parties about risk factors associated with the 7000 series railcars wheel assemblies, we request WMATA provide information to the Committee. The Committee requests:

1. A detailed timeline of WMATA’s actions regarding the wheel assemblies of the 7000 series railcars. We request that the timeline include:

a) Descriptions of interactions between WMATA and Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. or suppliers ORX or Sumitomo Metals regarding problems related to the wheel assemblies of the 7000 series railcars;

b) Descriptions of  interactions between WMATA and any contractor or consultant regarding wheel assembly performance issues surrounding the 7000 series railcars;

c) Descriptions of analysis or other actions undertaken by WMATA employees that identified performance or maintenance issues associated with the 7000 series railcars’ wheel assemblies; and 

d) Descriptions of analysis or other actions undertaken by WMATA employees that identified safety risks associated with the 7000 series railcars’ wheel assemblies.

2. Reports or records to evaluate an analysis or other action in the requested timeline regarding identification of performance or maintenance issues or identification of safety risks under (1) above.

3. Records sufficient to show the total amount of funds spent by WMATA related to wheel alignment issues with the 7000 series railcars.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

###


[1] Justin George, et al, Wheel assembly on Metro rail cars had failed repeatedly, NTSB says; reduced service expected all week, Wash. Post (Oct. 18, 2021); https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/10/18/metro-ntsb-investigation-safety/.

[2] Media Briefing by NTSB Officials, (Oct. 18, 2021); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOWAE1kNxUQ ; see also Justin George, et al, Wheel assembly on Metro rail cars had failed repeatedly, NTSB says; reduced service expected all week, Wash. Post (Oct. 18, 2021); https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/10/18/metro-ntsb-investigation-safety/.

[3] WMATA, Metrorail Service & Derailment Investigation Update, (Oct. 18, 2021); https://wmata.com/service/status/details/Metrorail-Service-and-Derailment-Investigation-Update.cfm.