At 11:45AM EDT Glenmont bound Train 155-3204 approached track department personnel between White Flint & Grosvenor stations on Track 1, the inbound track without sounding its horn periodically and at normal operating speeds instead of the required reduced speed. Train 155 did slow and pass the personnel at approximately 10-15MPH after visually acquiring the track personnel.

AMF (Advance Mobile Flagger) was present at White Flint, however at the time Train 155 serviced the platform, the AMF was fully engaged in a conversation with a Rail Pro contractor and failed to notify the operator of Train 155 of the presence of track personnel.

Also Train 155 failed to sound its mainline horn upon sighting the AMF at White Flint.

At 11:55AM Train 155 followed correct procedures departing Bethesda following contact with the AMF at Bethesda.

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On Thursday, September 6, 2018 at about 11:02 AM EDT, Shady Grove-bound Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Train 102 reported to the Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) the presence of personnel on the tracks between the Grosvenor and White Flint stations on the outbound track (Track A2) without the required presence of an Advanced Mobile Flagger (AMF) at the departure end of Grosvenor. The track inspection was suspended by the ROCC and the personnel were picked up and transported back to the White Flint platform by Train 102.

At 10:46 AM, a track inspection team of two including one contractor requested permission to walk the tracks from White Flint to Grosvenor via the outbound track known as Track 2. During the request, the Roadway Worker In Charge (RWIC) said that the AMF was in place at Grosvenor. (AMF duties include notifying train operators that personnel are on the tracks ahead and to instruct them to sound their horn and reduce their train’s speed until visually acquiring the personnel, at which time they are to be governed by the Roadway Worker In Charge, or RWIC.) Following the confirmation between the RWIC and the ROCC, permission was granted for the track walk to commence at 10:47 AM.

At 11:01 AM, Train 102 departed Grosvenor en route to White Flint, at which time the operator of Train 102 reported that there were track personnel on the tracks ahead, and that there was no AMF in place at Grosvenor to provide a warning. Train 102 was instructed to pick up the track crew and transport them back to White Flint where the RWIC was instructed to contact the ROCC. The track inspection was then cancelled as of 11:10 AM.

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Rail Transit OPS Group provides independent evaluations of rail transit operations, performance, and safety processes as part of its dual mission: monitor and evaluate rail transit operators’ adherence to these processes, and provide additional information during service disruptions.

Rail Transit OPS Group business operations are solely funded by individual contributions from the public. To make a contribution visit our Support Page You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @RailTransitOPS.