Thaindian News

Federal investigators looking in to the fatal Metro rail crash last Monday said yesterday that they found “anomalies” in a key component of the electronic control system along the Metro track north of Fort Totten.

While not saying that the equipment malfunctioned or that it caused the crash, which killed nine people and injured 80, Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said investigators are looking closely at a 740-foot-long circuit near the crash site that malfunctioned during testing.

A senior Metro official knowledgeable about train operations said an internal report also confirmed that the computer system appeared to have faltered.

Investigators are also examining the actions of Jeanice McMillan, the operator of the striking train who was killed in the crash, with the train rails showing evidence he had activated the emergency brakes 300 to 400 feet before the collision.

Investigators said the crash occurred on a curved section of track between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations, where the speed limit is 59 mph (95 kph) – the top speed on the Metro system.

Hersman said that if the track circuit failed to detect the stationary train, computers onboard McMillan’s train would have set her train’s speed at 59 mph, making it difficult for her to hit the emergency brakes in time to avoid a crash.

“The impact pushed the stationary six-car train forward seven feet” she said, adding that an empty six-car train weighs about 237 tons (215 metric tonnes).

The Metro’s automated trains are controlled by several electronic systems with circuits embedded along the track, anywhere from 150 feet (46 meters) to a half-mile (800 meters) apart.

Hersman said that when investigators tested a section near where the accident occurred five circuits worked properly and one did not.

She said further tests will be conducted to verify the preliminary findings.