Detector Equipment Repaired 5 Days Before DC Train Crash

Equipment supposed to detect stopped trains on the rails in Washington's Metro system was repaired five days before the June 22 DC train crash, revealed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday, July 1.

The detectors still failed to work, causing a train crash that occurred when a train on the Metro's Red Line collided into the rear of a stopped train near the Northeast Washington-Maryland border. Nine people died and dozens sustained injuries in what was the deadliest accident in the history of the Metro system since its opening in 1976.

According to safety agency maintenance records, a track-circuit component was replaced on June 17, and thereafter "periodically lost its ability to detect trains".

Since the accident, questions have been raised over what some consider to be outmoded equipment being used by the Metro transit system in Washington. City and Metro officials have cited lack of money and dedicated financing for having not phased out older trains in spite of federal warnings.