Safety of D.C. rail cars questioned

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2009 | by Alan Levin

WASHINGTON -- The subway crash Monday that killed nine people here was the latest to involve safety concerns previously raised by accident investigators.

A 1970s-vintage train car was so heavily damaged in the impact that 50 feet of its 75-foot length collapsed, National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman said Tuesday.

In 2006, the NTSB had called on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to replace the aging fleet after a similar accident crumpled a car in 2004, but the system had not done so, citing cost as one reason.

"It is a shame, and they are going to have to answer the question why they didn't act on the NTSB recommendations," said Barry Sweedler, a former NTSB investigator who now operates a safety consulting firm. ...