The derailment of a Metrorail train earlier this month caused officials at the National Transportation Safety Board to question the system's safety.
On Jan. 7, a Green Line train derailed in a tunnel near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station, causing 18 injuries. One passenger sustained what was described as a head injury, while a pregnant woman began experiencing contractions, according to The Washington Post.
The derailment occurred after the train was rerouted from the southbound track to the northbound track just outside of the station. according to The Post. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority's Web site, trains traveling between the Mount Vernon Square and Waterfront-SEU stations were using a single track because of track maintenance.
As the fifth car in the six-car train passed over the switch, the wheels left the track and the car hit the tunnel wall. The first two cars had entered the station by the time the derailment occurred, and passengers on these two cars were able to exit immediately. However, approximately 60 passengers were not able to exit and had to wait for rescue workers to lead them out of the tunnel, according to The Post.
NTSB officials are also investigating several other derailment incidents involving 5000-Series Metrorail cars, the same type involved in the most recent derailment. The 5000-Series cars, which were manufactured by Spain-based CAF Inc., were introduced in 2001. The cars have been involved in eight of the 15 derailments Metro has experienced since then. In at least four of the cases, the cars derailed when they were making tight turns similar to the one made during the Jan. 7 derailment, according to The Post.
According to NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway, the board intended to include as much information in their investigation as possible.
"We look at everything," he said. "We didn't necessarily broaden our investigation to include the other derailments because they involved a similar type of car; it was already broad. We're still examining the railcar involved in the derailment. We've also collected quite a bit of documentation and we're continuing to review those documents."
Metro officials said few of the system's train derailments have resulted in passenger injuries.
"[Jan. 7] was only the fifth time in our 31-year history that a Metrorail train has derailed, resulting in passenger injuries," Metro Board Chair Gladys Mack said in a WMATA press release.
The derailment and resulting investigation had little effect on Metrorail's daily operations and ridership, according to Steven Taubenkibel, a spokesman for the WMATA.
"Everything is exactly the same as before the accident," he said. "We've also seen no significant change in our ridership numbers."
Recent Metrorail Accidents
While the derailment of a Metrorail train Jan. 7 was the most recent incident to occur in the system, a number of other accidents have occurred in recent years. Since 2004, several Metro workers and patrons died in accidents throughout the system.
Dec. 8, 2006 A woman fell and was struck by a train entering the Orange Line's Deanwood station. One of her legs had to be partially amputated after the accident.
Nov. 30, 2006 Two Metro workers - Leslie A. Cherry, 52, and Matthew Brooks, 36 - died after being struck by a train while inspecting the track near the Yellow Line's Eisenhower Avenue station.
June 16, 2006 A person was struck and killed by a train at the Orange Line's East Falls Church station.
May 14, 2006 A Metro worker - Jong Won Lee, 49 - died after being struck by a train while working on the tracks in the Red Line's Dupont Circle station.
Oct. 1, 2005 A Metro worker - Michael Waldron, 47 - was struck by a train while working near the Blue and Yellow Lines' Braddock Road station. He later died from injuries sustained in the accident.
Aug. 30, 2005 A system malfunction prevented a train's doors from closing after the train began moving. No passengers were injured.
Nov. 3, 2004 An out-of-service train rolled backward into the Red Line's Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station and hit an occupied train. Twenty people were injured in the incident.
Aug. 19, 2004 A train derailed at the Red Line's Silver Spring station. No passengers were on the train at the time.
