WMATA receives $150 million from FTA for safety repairs

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has received a $150 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration to replace old "1000-Series" rail cars.

Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will provide $150 million in matching local funds to help pay for the car replacements, USDOT officials said in a prepared statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board previously cited the 1000-Series cars as a contributing factor to the number of fatalities and the severity of passengers' injuries caused by a June 2009 Red Line train accident near Fort Totten Station.

About $79.3 million of the grant will be used to buy as many as 300 new 7000-Series rail cars; WMATA will use $44.4 million to pay for track rehabilitation and apply the remainder toward other infrastructure projects, such as Metrorail station improvements, rehabilitation of track maintenance equipment, replacement of track switching equipment, and elevator and escalator repairs.

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