Norton Meets with Secretary Foxx to Discuss NTSB Findings and WMATA Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she did not want to overly alarm Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) passengers about today’s National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) final investigative hearing on the January 12, 2015 smoke incident at L’Enfant Plaza Station, but at the same time said no one should be comforted by the NTSB’s findings about the state of Metro safety procedures in the event of an emergency. Among the NTSB findings that most concerned Norton were that Metro had no ventilation plan in the event of smoke, and allowed Metro trains with passengers into tunnels with smoke. Norton was also concerned by NTSB’s finding that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) did not have the necessary enforcement capabilities to conduct safety oversight over WMATA. However, following her meeting this evening with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, she understands his response that absent an act of Congress, there was no other way to get immediate safety oversight of WMATA. Secretary Foxx told Norton he is leveraging the expertise of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with that of other agencies under his jurisdiction that are necessary for improved WMATA safety.

Norton is also meeting with FRA officials tomorrow afternoon, and will discuss the NTSB report, as well as Sunday’s CSX train derailment.