After a prolonged wait for approval, Metro will begin running Green and Yellow Line trains automatically on Friday.
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The transit agency first reintroduced automatic train operation on the Red Line in December with plans to expand it to the rest of the system over the course of the year.
But in April, the independent body that oversees safety on Metro pumped the brakes on allowing it on any other lines over concerns about station overruns. The issue arises when a train doesn’t stop at the right place on the platform and is then unable to let all passengers on and off.
In a statement, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission told WTOP it is now giving Metro the green light.
Randy Clarke, Metro’s general manager and CEO, told the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board on Thursday that station overruns are considered a reliability issue.
“There’s a big difference between reliability and safety, and that’s what we’re trying to make sure that there’s clarity and transparency on,” Clarke said. “I want to make sure everyone realizes that we are taking that part serious, but it is not a safety issue.”
Clarke added there were 30 station overruns on the Red Line in April, which he said amounted to a 99.99% reliability rate. He also noted that no automatic trains had run a red signal since December.
Metro trains were designed to run automatically, but it switched to manual operation in 2009 shortly after a Red Line crash near Fort Totten left nine people dead. The transit agency has sought to bring it back under Clarke, arguing it is safer and has faster travel times.
As has been the case on the Red Line, a human operator will still be in the cabin. Automation won’t be used during bad weather, single tracking and when track work is being performed.
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