WASHINGTON — Expanded DC Metrorail operations using Automatic Train Operation have gone smoothly, but the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission says more testing is still needed to determine the cause of station overruns.
WUSA-TV reports that commission members were told during a meeting on Tuesday (June 10) that there were 25 overruns in the first 10 days of ATO operation on the Green and Yellow lines, 10 fewer than on the Red Line when use of the automated operating system resumed late last year [see “Automatic Train Operation returns …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 15, 2024]. In all, as of Tuesday, there have been 273 overrun incidents on the Red Line.
The commission’s Paul Smith told the meeting that some problems are inevitable given the age of the ATO system, which was part of Metrorail at its launch but was shut off in 2009 following a fatal collision. (ATO was later determined to not be a factor in that crash.)
“It is very much antiquated technology and is not an elegant solution to stopping trains at a position that is in, in any way accurate,” Smith said, according to WUSA. “We would all like solid data and things that we can point to as to why these things are occurring, and when they are not there, it’s tough for folks like myself to understand kind of what is is going on with the system.” WMATA officials also said some of the overruns have been attributed to human error, with operators pushing a button that overrides automatic stops.
A software change may address some of the overruns, but there are also unsettled questions about electrical interference. WMATA officials estimate three to six months of work and testing will be required before changes can be rolled out systemwide.
Safety Commission concerns about the overruns initially delayed the expansion of ATO operation to the Green and Yellow lines, but it approved use of the technology starting May 23 [see “DC Metrorail gets go ahead …,” News Wire, May 21, 2025].
— Updated at 10: 42 a.m. CT to correct that Paul Smith works for the Metrorail Safety Commission, and to update the number of Red Line overruns.
How far do the trains go beyond the planned stopping location?
If the train passes the station entirely what becomes of the passengers who planned to get off there?
If a train entirely overshoots the station there is an additional debit on the passengers’ Charlie Cards, and they won’t be seen again for several weeks.
Overruns in Washington, DC? Who’d of thought!