All Washington Metro lines return to automatic train operation

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
All Washington Metro lines return to automatic train operation

A Red line Metrorail train stops at Gallery Place-Chinatown station. WMATA/Social Media

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (ZFJ) — All Washington Metrorail lines returned to automatic train operation (ATO) this year for the first time since 2009.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) returned ATO to the Green and Yellow lines on May 23 and Blue, Orange, and Silver lines on June 15 after “rigorous internal training and testing and concurrence from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.” The Red line already returned to ATO in December 2024.

Metro also returned to the system’s original speed of up to 75 mph. Several outer portions of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines saw speed increases from 55 to 65 or 75 mph.

ATO controls a train’s acceleration, deceleration, and speed. Trains receive signal and speed commands from equipment located between the tracks. Train operators will continue working in the cab.

“With ATO taking over some tasks, operators can better observe safety concerns and the environment around the train, monitor track conditions, and close the doors when passengers are safely onboard,” WMATA said in a press release.

ATO is not used during inclement weather, single tracking, and when workers are on the tracks.

Metro reports that an analysis of several months of ATO operation found that end-to-end Red line travel times have decreased by 8 minutes. The agency anticipates that the Yellow and Green lines will see travel time reductions of 1-2 minutes and the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines will see reductions of 3 minutes.

“Metro’s return to ATO has been a success for better service,” said General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke, who joined WMATA in 2022, while replying to an announcement that scheduled train times were being adjusted from Dec. 21 to account for faster service under ATO.

“Much safer w/ no Red signal violations since ATO, 🚇 OTP has increased so more reliable, faster for less travel time & we have saved millions for more frequency. I’ll never stop thanking the team that made this happen.” OTP refers to on-time performance.

WMATA suspended ATO systemwide following a Metrorail crash on June 22, 2009, near Fort Totten station on the Red line that killed nine people. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that a track circuit module failure caused the automatic train control system to lose detection of a train. The NTSB found that the circuit module failure would have resulted in the wrong speed commands issued regardless of whether trains were in automatic or manual control modes.

The NTSB report identified WMATA’s lack of a safety culture and insufficient maintenance and safety oversight efforts as contributing factors to the crash.

The NTSB recommended that WMATA perform a safety analysis of ATO to identify and prevent potential failures. The safety board did not recommend the suspension of ATO.

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