NTSB close to major announcement on Metro crash

WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators are getting ready to make a major announcement about last month's horrific collision on Metro's Red Line.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell WTOP the National Transportation Safety Board is the furthest along it has been when it comes to the investigation -- even to the point where the root cause of the crash may be pinpointed.

A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.

"They should nail it so everyone can get this thing going," one source tells WTOP.

So far, much of the investigation has focused on faulty track circuits in the crash area between the Takoma and Fort Totten rail stations. The NTSB has said one of those circuits was "fluttering" in the days leading up to the crash. When a test train was later placed on that same section of track, Metro's anti-collision system -- designed to keep track of trains and maintain spacing -- "lost sight" of that train.

Metro leaders characterized the problem as a mystery and say they do not know why the problem continues to happen.

Meanwhile, the NTSB had said it could be a year before the probable cause of the crash is uncovered. Metro officials have been pushing federal investigators to speed up the process, and it appears their request may be granted.

Recently, Metro began an intensive review of all its track circuits, uncovering several additional "anomalies" around the system. That has led to trains running slower in spots -- at some times no faster than 15 miles per hour. Trains also have been running one at a time through the crash area on the Red Line. Everyone who has been on a Metro train since the June 22 accident has experienced the subway system's slower, manual mode. The automatic train control function has been disabled as the investigation continues.

Metro and NTSB investigators have been working to try and find the crash's root cause since the deadly accident killed nine people and injured nearly 80. However, when the announcement comes, don't expect Metro to be the lead.

"The NTSB has made it clear they want to be the one's to deliver the news," says a source.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)