Delaney Statement on Metro SafeTrack Plan

WASHINGTON – Today the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) released a draft SafeTrack Plan, a plan for a year-long repair and rebuilding effort. As part of Metro’s safety surge, Marylanders and other system users will face reductions in service hours, reduced train frequency, closing portions of stations and significant periods of single-tracking throughout the system.

Last week, Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) filed legislation to reform WMATA governance, requiring that a majority of federal appointees to the Board of Directors be certified experts in either 1) transportation, 2) management, 3) finance or 4) safety.

“The good news is that we’ve been presented with a plan, the bad news is that this proposal lays bare the abject disrepair of the system,” said Congressman Delaney. “Morning commuters at Shady Grove should be thinking about their day ahead, not worried about their safety. When we ignore infrastructure needs, little by little, year after year, this is the price we pay: life-threatening catastrophic accidents and for the next year hundreds of thousands of people will endure longer commutes and massive service interruptions. When will we learn our lesson that long-term investments in infrastructure matter? The bottom line is that Metro needs to be repaired and rebuilt. I believe the best way to improve Metro is to reform its leadership by having real experts on the Board of Directors and to fully fund the system.”

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