Commission expresses worry about possible unsafe instances involving Metrorail door operations
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) has revealed a concerning rise in improper door operation events on Metrorail in 2025, with a total of 27 incidents reported as of September 1st, more than double the number that occurred by the same date in 2024.
These incidents, which involve train doors opening on the non-platform side of the train or while not properly berthed on a station's platform, pose serious safety risks. They could potentially lead to passengers falling out and coming into contact with the third rail, causing electrocution. Other risks include the possibility of riders falling from the train onto the roadway or making contact with the energized third rail.
In response to this issue, Metro has taken several steps to address the problem. The WMSC states that Metro has implemented refresher training for employees involved in incidents and reminders for train operators to use the Automatic Door Operations system. The recently relaunched Automatic Door Operation system is designed to prevent incorrect door openings and significantly improve safety.
Rail traffic controllers have also begun making hourly announcements reminding train operators to use Automatic Door Operations and follow the "point-and-call" procedure in manual opening situations. The Metro is committed to continuous safety improvement across its operations.
Investigations into improper door events have found that the causes are often due to a lack of situational awareness and failure to follow written Metrorail policies and procedures. Two such incidents occurred on Nov. 1, 2022, at Bethesda, and on Nov. 21, 2022, at Franconia-Springfield. Two more incidents occurred on Dec. 13, 2022, in Rockville, and at the Pentagon on Nov. 29, 2022.
It's worth noting that 27 incorrect door operations represent 0.000002% of the 13 million door operations performed by Metro every year. Despite this, the WMSC stresses that most improper door events are caused by human error when operators manually open doors, not by the Automatic Door Operation used by Metro.
While Metro resumed using Automatic Door Operation on all lines last year, it appears that no specific measures have been taken to reduce the number of improper door operations in 2025, according to the information available. The Metro remains dedicated to ensuring the safety of its passengers and continues to work towards improving its operations.
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