NTSB Throws Down on WMATA

Fox 5 has a report up about the recommendations that the NTSB released yesterday for WMATA. Basically, the NTSB is recommending that Metro replace their entire circuit system with a real time, software based system. The advantages of doing this are pretty obvious - the software could report on the state of each circuit at all times and could report the exact location of every train in real time, allowing for a central system to decide when trains are too close instead of relying on each circuit and train to make that decision.

The problem? This pretty much wraps it up:

"Taubenkibel says it will take millions if not billions of dollars..."

This system will pretty much require Metro to hire contractors (or god forbid, try to do it in house) to build out this system almost completely from scratch. At an enormous cost. I fully support this kind of approach in the long term, but we have to find a way to have confidence in the safety of the Metro without requiring billions of dollars to upgrade the circuit system. Metro needs so many things that cost so much money. If there exists a way to ensure the safety of the system without following through with these recommendations, at least not anytime soon, we need to do it. Safety is absolutely first - but let's not completely bankrupt the system; let's find another way.