Van Hollen: Silver Line Derailment "More than Unacceptable -- it is Gross Negligence"

Statement

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on last week's train derailment on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Silver Line:

"The fact that WMATA was aware of the track defect that caused last week's derailment in July yet took no corrective action is more than unacceptable -- it is gross negligence that points to a troubling incompetence in the Metro system's safety practices. By sheer luck, last week's accident did not harm any passengers or Metro employees. Every Metro rider deserves their safety to be guaranteed by more than luck, and Metro must immediately disclose what actions are being taken to ensure every known track defect is fixed immediately upon detection."

Source