Like many riders, some Maryland lawmakers are losing patience with Metro.
The agency鈥檚 leaders were the target of tough questions and barbs at a hearing of the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment on Wednesday.
鈥淔rankly, riders and taxpayers are all very frustrated,鈥� said Del. Marc Korman, of Montgomery County. 鈥淭he suggestion from some of you has been that we鈥檝e turned some kind of corner, and if we鈥檝e turned a corner, we鈥檝e run into a wall.鈥�
The hearing touched on sidelined railcars, train operators with lapsed certifications, third rails being improperly powered up and Metro鈥檚 safety culture.
鈥淚鈥檓 just really disappointed,鈥� said Montgomery County Del. Jared Solomon.
鈥淲e know that we have a long road to hoe here,鈥� said Metro interim general manager and CEO Andy Off. 鈥淲e do not want any more stories of this nature. We want to be a top-notch, world-class safety organization.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really critical for Metro, as it fixes something, to work to ensure that it stays fixed,鈥� said Washington Metrorail Safety Commission CEO David Mayer. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚, again, not an engineering thing. It鈥檚 a people and culture kind of thing.鈥�
