WASHINGTON 鈥� When a train breaks down, there鈥檚 scheduled single-tracking or a switch freezes, Metro riders often face delays with little personal communication from Metro staff about what is going on.
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said he wants to change that.
鈥淚鈥檝e experienced some situations that I鈥檓 not happy with in how we respond,鈥� Wiedefeld said Monday in an interview. 鈥淭o me, when we have major incidents where there鈥檚 a major impact on the customers, it鈥檚 an all hands on deck type of response, and I don鈥檛 sense that right now, so we鈥檒l be making some changes there in the near future.鈥�
Wiedefeld cites rush-hour single-tracking on the Red Line last week as one time where an overhaul of communication could help.
鈥淚 want to see much more proactive response from [all] our staff,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 in addition to the dozens of mandated safety, financial and operational changes ordered by the Federal Transit Administration in the past year. A number of those issues were raised by the National Transportation Safety Board and others involved in the investigation into the deadly smoke incident one year ago Tuesday outside the L鈥橢nfant Plaza Station.
Carol Glover died after riders sat on a train that filled with smoke amid failed communication and ventilation.
Wiedefeld said again Monday that his top three priorities are the safety and reliability of the system and getting Metro鈥檚 financial house in order, and he signed to riders.
On separate issues, Wiedefeld said there鈥檚 an ongoing investigation into what caused. He said a smoke incident over the weekend that led to riders being evacuated from the Federal Center SW station was tied to an issue with a railcar, not an insulator.
The National Transportation Safety Board of the smoke in the deadly Yellow Line incident. A final NTSB report is expected in the coming months.
In the long term, Wiedefeld said after making all the ordered changes, he would like to make more alterations that would again make Metro one of the leading transit agencies in the country and the world.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 proud of is the line people,鈥� Wiedefeld said. 鈥淭he more I meet them, there is a sense of pride in them, there is a sense that they want to do more.鈥�
