[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 119 (Monday, June 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35715-35716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15256]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Safety Advisory 15-1]


Audits of Subway Tunnel Environments

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.

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SUMMARY: On June 17, 2015, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 
issued Safety Advisory 15-1 to advise rail fixed guideway public 
transportation systems (RFGPTS) with subway tunnel environments of 
forthcoming audits to be conducted by State Safety Oversight Agencies 
(SSOAs) with oversight jurisdiction in the assessment of tunnel 
ventilation systems, emergency procedures for fire and smoke events, 
training programs to ensure compliance with those emergency procedures, 
and application of industry best standards in maintenance and emergency 
procedures. Additionally, FTA instructed all State Safety Oversight 
Agencies to conduct inspections of the rail transit agencies' tunnel 
ventilation systems, and to audit the rail transit agencies within 
their jurisdiction for the purpose of determining the mileage and 
characteristics of subway tunnels, assessing the adequacy of the rail 
transit agencies' emergency procedures, ensuring compliance with those 
emergency procedures, and determining compliance with industry best 
standards in maintenance and emergency procedure. The FTA issued Safety 
Advisory 15-1 in response to an urgent safety recommendation by the 
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The FTA Safety Advisory 
15-1, ``Audit All Rail Fixed Guideway Public Transportation Systems 
(RFGPTS) with Subway Tunnel Environments,'' is available on the FTA 
public Web site, http://www.fta.dot.gov/tso.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For program matters, Thomas Littleton, 
Associate Administrator for Transit Safety and Oversight, (202) 366-
1738 or [email protected]. For legal matters, Scott Biehl, 
Senior Counsel, (202) 366-0826 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 12, 2015, at 3:15 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time, a southbound Yellow Line rapid rail train number 302 
operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) 
stopped after encountering heavy smoke in a subway tunnel between the 
L'Enfant Plaza station and the Potomac River Bridge. After stopping, 
the rear car of train 302 was about 386 feet from the south end of the 
L'Enfant Plaza station platform. The operator of train 302 informed 
WMATA's Operation Control Center (OCC) that the train had stopped due 
to heavy smoke. A following Yellow Line train, number 510, stopped 
about 100 feet short of the south end of the same platform, but its 
cars were entirely within the L'Enfant Plaza station. At

[[Page 35716]]

3:16 p.m., WMATA's OCC activated the under-platform fans at the 
L'Enfant Plaza Green and Yellow Line platforms, but because the fans 
were in exhaust mode--not supply mode--the activation of the fans 
pulled smoke toward rather than away from both trains. Moreover, the 
operator of train 302 had not shut off the train ventilation system 
that draws outside air into the train cars. WMATA procedure required 
the train operator to receive permission from the OCC to shut off the 
train ventilation system. Since both the station and vent shaft fans 
were all activated in exhaust mode--not supply mode--there was not a 
supply of fresh air to help move the smoke through the tunnel.
    A post- accident inspection found that two of the four fans had 
tripped an overload circuit breaker and were non-operational.
    Police and emergency responders assisted in the evacuation of both 
trains and the L'Enfant Plaza station. A limited number of passengers 
aboard train 302 were able to self-evacuate. One passenger died and 86 
others were transported to local medical facilities for treatment for 
smoke inhalation. The WMATA incurred an estimated $120,000 in damage to 
assets. During its investigation, the NTSB determined the cause of the 
smoke to have been an electrical arcing incident, and the source of the 
smoke to have been about 1,100 feet ahead (south) of train 302. 
Further, as part of its investigation, the NTSB determined that WMATA 
did not have a written ventilation procedure for smoke and fire events 
in a tunnel, and that the ventilation strategy WMATA deployed during 
this accident was not consistent with best practice.
    On February 11, 2015, the NTSB issued three urgent safety 
recommendations to WMATA, two urgent safety recommendations to the 
American Public Transportation Association, and urgent safety 
recommendation R-15-007 to FTA, calling for audits for all rail transit 
agencies that have subway tunnel environments to assess the state of 
good repair of their tunnel ventilation systems, their written 
emergency procedures for fire and smoke events, and their training 
programs to ensure compliance with those procedures, and to verify that 
the rail transit agencies are applying industry best standards, such as 
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code 130, Standards for 
Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems, in their maintenance 
and emergency procedures. The FTA responded to the NTSB safety 
recommendation by letter of March 13, 2015, stating, in part, that we 
have identified the rail transit agencies with operational subway 
tunnel environments and will engage the State Safety Oversight Agencies 
(SSOAs) that have safety oversight jurisdiction over these rail transit 
agencies, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5329 and 5330 and 49 CFR part 
659, for the purpose of addressing R-15-007.
    To that end, on June 17, 2015, the FTA Office of Transit Safety and 
Oversight issued Safety Advisory 15-1, addressed to the RFGPTS that 
have operational subway tunnel environments, and a letter addressed to 
the SSOAs that have safety oversight jurisdiction over these the rail 
transit agencies, with instructions to conduct audits to (1) determine 
the extent of subway tunnel mileage at each such rail transit agency, 
and the characteristics of its operational subway tunnel environments; 
(2) assess each rail transit agency's written emergency procedures for 
fire and smoke events; (3) assess each rail transit agency's training 
programs for ensuring compliance with those emergency procedures; and 
(4) determine each rail transit agency's compliance with industry best 
standards, such as NFPA Code 130, in their maintenance and emergency 
procedures. Additionally, the SSOAs were instructed to complete a 
Tunnel Ventilation System Inspection of each such rail transit agency, 
using the audit tools provided by FTA, and to submit the results of 
their audits with supporting documentation no later than August 31, 
2015. For additional guidance, FTA referred the SSOAs to the joint FTA/
Federal Highway Administration Highway and Rail Transit Tunnel 
Inspection Manual, 2005 Edition, which sets forth established industry 
inspection standards. The FTA will use the data and information from 
these audits by the SSOAs in conducting a broader analysis for 
responding to NTSB recommendation R-15-007, and potentially, for future 
rulemaking and guidance to the rail transit industry. Both the FTA 
Safety Advisory 15-1 and the June 17, 2015 letter addressed to the 
SSOAs are available on the FTA public Web site, http://www.fta.dot.gov/tso.html.
    The FTA's issuance of Safety Advisory 15-1 is in accordance with 
FTA's authority to ``investigate public transportation accidents and 
incidents and provide guidance to recipients regarding prevention of 
accidents and incidents.'' 49 U.S.C. 5329(f) (5). The requests for 
information and data from the SSOAs and the rail transit agencies 
within their jurisdiction are based on FTA's authority to request 
program information pertinent to rail transit safety under the State 
Safety Oversight rule, 49 CFR 659.39(d).
    Readers who have an interest in the January 12, 2015, WMATA 
accident that led to the urgent recommendations by the NTSB and FTA's 
issuance of Safety Advisory 15-1 can obtain further information about 
that accident in two reports issued on June 17, 2015: A Safety 
Management Inspection that FTA conducted of WMATA from March 16 to 
April 3, 2015, and a Safety Management System gap analysis FTA 
performed for WMATA from March 3 to March 5, 2015. Both documents are 
available on the FTA public Web site, http://www.fta.dot.gov/tso.html.

Therese W. McMillan,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2015-15256 Filed 6-19-15; 8:45 am]
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