D.C. Metro bringing back computer-driven trains 5 years after fatal crash

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Five years after a fatal crash on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (Metro) Red Line, the transit agency said it will soon bring back computer-driven trains, restoring a money-saving, smooth-ride feature that was part of Metrorail from its inception but failed catastrophically in 2009, causing nine deaths, The Washington Post reported.

Starting early next month, in a process known as automatic train operation, computers will take over driving a half-dozen Red Line trains daily during non-peak hours, Metro GM Richard Sarles said. By March, all Red Line trains will be driven by computers, a move Sarles called “a milestone accomplishment,” according to the report.

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