Safety investigation delays MetroRail

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The debut of the Capital Metro Commuter Rail in Austin has been derailed from its March 30 start date. Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation notified Capital Metro of allegations against rail contractor Veolia Transportation. The allegations point toward two incidents in February where two Veolia rail supervisors operating MetroRail trains entered a section of track without prior authorization during system testing.

Veolia is investigating the matter thoroughly and working with the FRA and TxDOT to address the issue. "The incident happened on isolated training tracks outside the city limits," said Erica Swerdlow, a Veolia spokesperson.

Based on the investigation and additional issues identified during rail testing over the past several weeks, Capital Metro will allow more time for Veolia to complete the training of engineers and dispatchers and additional testing of the rail line.

"We're not gonna launch the system because of a specific date on the calendar," said Capital Metro spokesperson Adam Shaivitz. "We want to launch MetroRail when the system is ready and we want to take a little extra time."

Capital Metro is working with Veolia to establish a revised timeline for the start of service initially planned for Monday, March 30. Shaivitz said the service start date should only be pushed back about two weeks.

“Safety is always the most important factor,” said Capital Metro President/Chief Executive Officer Fred Gilliam. “The extra time will help ensure all components of the system are ready. We look forward to offering a safe, reliable and high quality transportation option to Central Texas commuters.”

Capital Metro still plans to hold its MetroRail celebration on Saturday, March 28 to give the community an opportunity to tour all rail stations and take demonstration rides on the trains. Visit CapMetro's website for more details.