Metro Train Crash Update: Rotten At The Core?

Washington DC. The Associated Press quotes NTSB Investigator Debbie Hersman as saying that the federal regulatory agency had warned Metro in 2006 that old train cars like those involved in this latest crash should be replaced or retrofitted in order to improve crash survivability. Metro failed to do either, which Hersman calls "unacceptable." Metro's current position? Metro General Manager John Catoe reportedly insists that the old cars, which were not designed or built to meet current crash standards, are SAFE! Well, perhaps they are safe . . . a safe bet to kill you in case of an accident! It now appears that the deceased train operator attempted to apply the emergency brake, but apparently her efforts were no match for an errant computer intent on staying on schedule, and the lead car was peeled open like a can of sardines. It has been http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2009/06/the-washington-metro-crash-and-tax.html"> reported that Metro deliberately continued to use obsolete and unsafe train cars in order to profit from the sale and leaseback of the equipment in a deal which obligated it to keep running the old cars until 2014! So, bottom line, it looks like Metro's managers and Board Of Directors have blood on their hands, having sold out the safety of both their riders and their employees on the front lines in the illusory pursuit of short-term profit.