Rail Operations Control Center training facilties  Image by Aaron Landry used with permission.

Metro’s Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) doesn’t provide the proper training needed for employees and is also a caustic work environment, according to a recent report from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. Controllers reported not having the knowledge needed to do their jobs and suffered racial and sexual harassment along the way.

This is the fourth part of a series diving into issues at the ROCC identified by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. The introduction can be found here.

Harassment in the workplace has led controllers, both those experienced and still in training to leave. ’“People are leaving because there is not enough structure in the control center,” one controller said in the report.

“ROCC managers engage in racial, sexual and other forms of harassment, and use profanities and threats against controllers, which adds to the chaotic environment and creates additional layers of safety risks,” the report reads. “Multiple controllers expressed concerns about explicit sexual comments that they observed toward women, racist remarks, and homophobic remarks.”

One example cited in the WMSC audit, “I wonder if you taste as good as you look,” was directed towards a female controller.

In one instance during interviews the WMSC performed, they were told of “some instances of unwanted physical contact.” The WMSC found the stories credible enough to provide information about the incident(s) to the WMATA Office of Inspector General for further investigation.

Threats and retaliation are also detailed in the report. Although no specific examples are cited, the WMSC says controllers have been “baselessly threatened…with arrest or termination following procedures or asking questions.”

A mock Metro car used for training at Metro's ROCC. Image by Aaron Landry used with permission.

Training for both new and experienced controllers is lacking

Rail controller training is scheduled for nine months. The job is a challenging one, and controllers have lots of procedures and protocols to learn to ensure they’re able to do their jobs safely and effectively.

But according to the WMSC and trainees, training isn’t consistent, and doesn’t ensure that all new controllers are ready to perform their duties. Training for experienced controllers is also repetitive and has major gaps leaving controllers without the latest info they need.

Controllers interviewed by the WMSC told them that what they learned during training was vastly different than what they were expected to do once working at the actual control desks.

“Training is a joke,” one controller told the WMSC. “It doesn’t prepare you for the job. You are starting over after training when you hit the floor.”

Training for more experienced controllers is performed in-house by other ROCC instructors. As the WMSC describes it, “ROCC instructors and…managers are certifying their own colleagues.”

The conflict of interest inherent in the way the ROCC trains its employees is exacerbated by the department’s ongoing staffing shortages. Having to fail an employee during training, or even just having to set aside the time to allow them to attend training, means an increased shortage of certified controllers available to run the railroad.

The WMSC wants to see training of ROCC staff codified and standardized for each position, as well moving certification out to an external group that doesn’t have the same incentives to certify controllers as those within the ROCC.

Another group within the Metrorail division, the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) group, is in charge of certifying train operators, supervisors and interlocking operators (a job similar to rail controllers), the WMSC says. But this group isn’t often involved in ROCC certifications even though they would be able to act as an impartial evaluator.

Controllers recertify annually with new training and practical exams. The parameters used in the exam scenarios aren’t as stringent as they should be, and the scenarios are the same year after year, meaning controllers have likely already seen the problem and know exactly what to do. The WMSC report details one example where a controller could pass a scenario even if it took them 29 minutes to activate ventilation fans to clear away smoke during an incident.

A WMSC report from May, 2020 found that certification training also apparently doesn’t include procedures needed to operate a newer type of fans which Metro has installed on the Silver and Blue lines. In response to the report, Metro made a quick-reference guide for emergency ventilation fans available, as well as a 703-page fan playbook.

Incorrect fan use by the ROCC during the 2015 L’Enfant incident caused smoke to enter the L’Enfant station, instead of being pulled away

Another way controllers train is to perform ride-alongs with maintenance crews. The controllers are supposed to be able to walk the track, watch the crews, and gain “real-world experience” which controllers can use to “improve their effectiveness and boost the productivity and safety of all roadway workers.”

Instead of actually getting in some valuable track time, controllers reported that they would regularly sit in trucks or on station platforms waiting for crews to perform their work.

“The three days were just a vacation from work,” one controller said.

Through four findings, the WMSC is requiring that Metro standardize training courses, on-the-job training, as well as ROCC certification processes and recertification scenarios.

Stephen Repetski is a Virginia native and has lived in the Fairfax area for over 20 years. He has a BS in Applied Networking and Systems Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology and works in Information Technology. Learning about, discussing, and analyzing transit (especially planes and trains) is a hobby he enjoys.