USA Today reports that U.S. DOT Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx threatened to shut down the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or D.C. Metro) if the company does not improve safety.
Foxx’s announcement comes after Metro employees refused DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) access to a tunnel following an explosion of a third-rail insulator last week.
As a result, the FTA issued a safety directive May 7 to WMATA requiring the agency to:
“take immediate action to reduce the risk of smoke and fire events, to enhance the exercise of its emergency preparedness program, to conduct an organization-wide safety stand-down to focus all departments on core safety protocols and procedures, and to make decisions based on safety rather than on operational demands.”
Click here to read FTA’s safety directive in its entirety.
Read more of this story from USA Today.
Related News
- SMART-TD Yardmasters Reach Tentative Agreement
- For Wisconsin’s State Legislative Director, Role is More Than a Title
- Get the Facts on the Union Pacific Arbitration Award from SBA 1208!
- New Jersey Passes Two New Pro-Labor Laws Backed by SMART-TD
- VILP Enrollment Extended Through September 26!
- FRA Expands Bridge Safety Oversight
- Rep. Lawler’s Transit Funding Flexibility Act of 2025 receives SMART-TD Endorsement
- Join Railroaders from Across the Country for Houston Rail Labor Solidarity Rally!
- Registration Open for Atlanta Regional Training Seminar
- 2025 Labor Day Message from SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson