A years-old engineering report cites older examples of a track problem that has caused wheels on rail cars to move apart.
While the discoveries bring a new dimension to the investigation into the derailment, safety commission spokesman Max Smith said the track issues don’t pose a new threat to riders. He called the issue with the restraining railone part of what could be causing wheel movements.
Safety commission chief executive David L. Mayer said Tuesday that the 2015 report came to light during the investigation into the 7000-series cars. The safety commission had been unaware of the report, which was released three years before Congress created the commission to oversee safety on the rail system.
“Those flangeways are putting stress on those wheels,” he said. “This sounds like a screw-up by the track department, to be honest with you.” Metro officials did not respond to questions about why the adjustments weren’t made. An internal review in June of work performed in 2021 and 2020 found that quality assurance inspectors have questioned Metro’s standards for its restraining rails, calling for the agency to conduct an engineering study and update track-design criteria based on the results.Metro officials have said in recent months that a number of factors might be contributing to the wheel safety problem.
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