Braking by Train Operator Examined

Runaway Car Was Being Driven Manually; Delays Continue Today

A partition on the Woodley Park platform partly blocks the view of commuters on an inbound train, left, as investigators examine the wreckage of two Metro trains involved in Wednesday's crash. (Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)

Investigators studying the crash of a runaway Metro train are focusing on the operator and whether he hit the brakes in time to stop his empty train from barreling backward into an occupied train Wednesday at the Woodley Park Station.

Metro said riders should be prepared for another day of delays on the Red Line. Although the Woodley Park Station reopened yesterday, the train wreck remained on the outbound track while the National Transportation Safety Board continued its investigation. The wreckage was expected to be towed away overnight.

Trains in both directions shared a single track around the crash site yesterday, creating delays and crowding up and down Metro's most heavily traveled line. The single tracking will continue today while damage to the track is repaired. Yesterday, traffic also backed up on the roads above.

Metro is operating eight-car trains on the Red Line to reduce the congestion that results from less frequent service, and it is charging off-peak fares.

Metro directors spent several hours yesterday in a closed-door meeting with Chief Executive Richard A. White, talking about his performance and management problems at the agency.

"It's probably the most serious and formidable challenge I've had," White said of Metro's recent service problems and public criticism of his stewardship.

Meanwhile, new details emerged about the accident.

Lamont Lewis, who has seven months of experience on the job, was manually controlling his six-car train Wednesday when it reversed direction in the tunnel between Woodley Park and Cleveland Park and slid backward at 30 mph into a train carrying 70 passengers.

The runaway train came to rest after the shell of its rear car climbed onto the roof of the other train, a phenomenon known as telescoping. Twenty people suffered minor injuries.

Lewis told investigators that he had tried three ways to brake the train, according to Debbie Hersman, a spokeswoman for the NTSB, the federal agency investigating the crash. He said he applied the regular brakes, and also released a control lever, which automatically brakes the train. He said he also engaged the emergency parking brake.

But Lewis told investigators that when he hit the emergency brake, he felt a big thud. He told them that he thought the train had just come to a halt, but that he stepped outside and saw that his train had crashed into another train. Investigators believe he may have hit the brakes too late, as the crash was already unfolding, Hersman said.

Metro trains are designed to be operated by computers, which automatically control their speed and stopping. However, trains are often run manually, especially when they are empty and moving from one rail yard to another, as was the case with the runaway train.

Lewis was moving it to the Shady Grove rail yard. Manual mode puts greater responsibility on the train operator.

Investigators also are examining track conditions, maintenance and mechanical records of the runaway train, as well as its propulsion and braking systems. "We don't know exactly what broke down," Hersman said.