Norton Applauds Certification of Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, $48.5 Million in Grant Funding Now Available to DC, MD, VA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, applauded the certification of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) this week by the Federal Transit Administration. With this certification, the responsibility for direct safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will now transfer from the federal government to WMSC. Norton also applauded the approximately $48.5 million in federal funding now available to transit agencies in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Norton, who has been a longtime leader for safety improvements at Metro, was influential in getting the current transit safety requirements adopted.

"The safety concerns that were exposed by the Federal Transit Administration necessitated a shakeup in WMATA that has occurred in more ways than one," Norton said. "Now, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission is fully prepared to oversee WMATA and funds will now be available for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to help improve transit across the region. As the chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I will continue to follow these improvements closely."