Hufsa Kamal
WMAL News
The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending Washington’s metro system to repair certain parts of the system, which are designed to keep moisture and other contaminants from entering the third rail.
The NTSB issued the recommendation Monday and urges Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority to take “immediate action.”
The NTSB uncovered the issue after a fatal smoke incident in January at L’Enfant Plaza station left one dead and 80 others sickened.
Investigators have found instances in other metro stations where cable connectors were missing sleeves. WMATA does not have a program to ensure the sleeves are installed properly.
Officials have yet to determine the cause of the L’Enfant Plaza station malfunction.
WMATA released a statement in response to the NTSB’s request:
“Metro will begin the process immediately to install the recommended weather tight seals which are located on third rail power feeds and jumper connections. As hundreds of such connections are made throughout the system, the process will prioritize locations based on water intrusion conditions. We appreciate the information that the NTSB has provided as part of the ongoing investigation and we are committed to implementing every NTSB safety recommendation.
Metro will provide further details on the actions it will take to address this recommendation at a briefing of its Board of Directors on Thursday.”
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