Catoe: Prototype for anti-crash system is ready

WASHINGTON -- Metro trains come and go through stations. Riders get on and get off, going about their daily routines.

But since the horrific summer collision on the Red Line that killed eight passengers and one train operator, some riders haven't been able to shake the fear the accident caused.

Now, WTOP has learned, the transit agency may soon take a huge step toward easing some of the concerns about the rail system.

After the crash -- where one train collided with another -- the National Transportation Safety Board told Metro that its anti-collision system was inadequate, and that the transit agency needed to develop a brand new crash system that could monitor tracks and report issues immediately.

That new prototype is ready, Metro General Manager John Catoe tells WTOP.

"We are going to test that demo on our system next week, and see if it is able to detect any anomalies on our system in real time. I think it is a big move forward."

While the exact cause of the crash between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations has not been pinpointed, much of the focus has been on Metro's automatic train control system, designed to keep trains a safe distance apart.

The NTSB has said that the automatic system failed to prevent the crash on June 22.

Now, Metro says it might have found the fix.

"This is a system that had to be developed, because there was no such system on the shelf," Catoe says.

"It will in real time -- like every moment -- be able to feed back the status of all the circuits and all the connections within the rail system. If any of those come out of the normal parameters that we want them to operate, or if there is any problem with any of them, it will instantly tell us that. And what we will do then is to immediately send out a crew to do the adjustments, repairs or whatever is needed."

Metro has been working with Annapolis-based ARINC, Inc. to develop this new crash-avoidance system. ARINC is a government contractor that specializes in communications, engineering and integration.

The cost of this new system is not yet known, but it's not expected to come cheap.

Metro Board members have expressed concern in recent board meetings about allocating future dollars, because of what could be a hefty price tag associated with this type of system and other fixes to the transit system.

For a transit agency that is trying to restore confidence in some of its riders however, price may not matter much.

"I am happy to hear about the progress of their development," Catoe says.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)