Almost half of Metro train operators aren’t properly certified, Metro says

Nearly half of all Metro train operators are behind on their safety and operations certification and some haven’t been fully certified in three years, according to a bombshell admission by the transit agency’s Chief Safety Officer (CSO) on Sunday. The news led the agency to immediately pull 72 train operators from duty, which will cause delays Monday for Yellow and Green line riders.

The press release issued Sunday comes a little over a month since an audit by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) raised concerns that 147 of 551 train operators and 127 of 494 station managers were “behind on refresher training.”

The 72 train operators being immediately removed from service had their two-year certification lapse a year ago in May 2021, according to Metro, and are in addition to those 147 behind on training. Train operators receive an initial set of computer and classroom-based training when they first start with the agency, and are supposed to be certified every two years thereafter with recertification every other year.

The WMSC supports Metrorail’s actions today that provide for the safety of Metrorail riders and workers.

Last month, the WMSC’s Audit of Rail Operations identified that Metrorail is not meeting its operational refresher training and recertification requirements (Finding 6)

— Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (@MetrorailSafety) May 15, 2022

The drop in available operators means the agency is cutting service immediately. Yellow and Green line trains, which only received a slight service bump two weeks ago, will return to their old schedule where trains ran every 20 minutes, down from every 15. Extra trains used to fill gaps in service will also be reduced, leaving the agency no wiggle room for mechanical breakdowns. Metro says the reduced service is expected to last through the rest of the month.

The WMSC raised certification alarms in April

The safety body that oversees Metrorail safety, the WMSC, raised concerns about the agency’s certification processes in an audit released in early April, and required the agency to implement new Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) to ensure operators were meeting their training requirements.

Train operators are supposed to be certified every two years, with refresher training every other year. The WMSC found that refresher training had stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the older legacy trains weren’t well covered in training and on certifications.

Even when Metro was performing recertification prior to the pandemic, the WMSC says it wasn’t complete. Training, the safety body says, is “focused on the 7000 Series cars” - the newest in Metrorail’s fleet - and “there is only very limited information related to the legacy fleet (2000, 3000, and 6000 Series cars).”

Metro’s active operating fleet has exclusively been made up of the older 2000, 3000, and 6000-series railcars since October 2021 when a 7000-series train derailed outside of Arlington Cemetery. Operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the 7000’s and the “legacy” fleet differ significantly due to their differences.

Metro itself says that 7000-series-based train operator certification was implemented only in August 2020, five years after employees began operating them. The 7000-series railcars have made up a majority of the rail fleet since Metro retired the 1000, 4000, and 5000-series railcars.

WMATA has an unparalleled ability to pivot from one avoidable crisis to the next https://t.co/jLPHinaCeN

— Yonah Freemark (@yfreemark) May 15, 2022

Another concern highlighted by the WMSC was that many operators lacked territory familiarity training, and that the training itself had no voiceover narration or other documentation. Train operators need to be familiar with their territory to know where signals are, curves, stations, and other physical characteristics.

Only 10% of operators had taken the agency’s computer-based Blue Line familiarity training, and less than 5% had taken the similar Green Line training. The WMSC found that operators only receive line familiarization training “after they are involved in a safety event or…violated a rule or procedure.”

Operators were given certification “waivers”

Metro granted some operators six-month “waivers” so they wouldn’t have to complete training requirements up to three times during the pandemic, allowing them to continue working longer between certifications than typically would be allowed, according to the WMSC.

The WMSC in its audit noted that waivers were given to some employees “who did not have prior documented certification completions,” and others with incomplete certification paperwork.

At the same time, Metro does not have a documented procedure to “ensure that people whose certifications have expired do not work,” the WMSC report noted. “[Rail Training (ROQT)] stated that all they can do is remind [Rail Operations (RTRA)] of who needs training.”

The waiver process was put into place due to the pandemic, which limited face-to-face interaction and caused Metro to slash the number of trains it ran during daily service. “Training and certifications activities were placed on hold for approximately six months,” Metro said, and fewer trains running in service meant there were fewer opportunities to certify employees.

The extent of the waiver process didn’t become known until the WMSC’s audit led Metro CSO Theresa Impastato to investigate the issue, which led to the agency’s latest action. The waiver process as of the WMSC’s audit had been in place long enough that some employees covered hadn’t received Metro’s refresher training since March 2020, now over two years ago.

“We did not understand…the magnitude of the issue,” said one Metro source familiar with the matter. “The people who knew…either did not have the power or deliberately chose not to take corrective action.”

The Metro press release states that the Board of Directors directed Metro management to get to the bottom of the certification issue and “provide a full accounting of how and why this occurred and develop a plan to ensure it is remediated as fast as possible.” (Disclosure: GGWash Board of Directors chair Tracy Hadden Loh is also on Metro’s board. In keeping with our editorial policy, board members maintain no oversight of editorial decision-making.)

Playing catch-up will take time

The process to re-certify all employees that fell behind will take two to three months, Metro says. Not only do the 72 operators most out-of-date need to be certified again to be in compliance with Metro’s own rules, but the agency says a total of “more than 250 rail operators” need to go through certification.

Train operator shortages will be immediately felt by riders on the Yellow and Green lines, as Metro tries to get them all back up to date. “However, the Board made it clear safety is the top priority,” wrote Metro Board chair Paul Smedberg.

The agency is also now reviewing the refresher training of its more than 2,500 Metrobus operators. Metrobus has different processes than Metrorail, and operator certifications include federally-mandated commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). “We are identifying bus operators who have lapsed refresher training,” said Joe Leader in Metro’s press release, and the agency “will take steps to ensure compliance with Metro’s rules.”