David L. Mayer will oversee the management and operations of the MSC, which was created by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to serve as the State Safety Oversight Agency for the Metrorail system.
The Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC), an agency formed to oversee safety at D.C. Metro, picked David L. Mayer, a transportation expert who is currently chief safety officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), as its CEO.
Mayer will oversee the management and operations of the MSC, which was created by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to serve as the State Safety Oversight Agency for the Metrorail system. Besides his time at the MTA, Mayer also served as managing director at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
“Dr. Mayer’s 25 years of transportation safety experience and outstanding leadership skills, coupled with his knowledge of complex federal oversight and regulatory practices, make him the ideal person to lead our new organization as we work to help ensure a safe Metro system for area residents and visitors to our region,” said MSC Chairman Christopher Hart.
Mayer’s selection is the latest action to bring the MSC another step closer to being certified by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has been supporting the jurisdictions and the FTA in establishing the MSC so that it can assume safety oversight of Metro from the FTA.
The Plan is CTA's formal response to an FTA Special Directive issued in December and details how the agency will significantly expand the law enforcement surge it launched.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
During a safety blitz, Metra employees will visit one of the railroad’s 243 stations during the morning rush hour, distributing educational materials on train and grade-crossing safety, answering questions, and listening to riders’ safety concerns.
Operated in partnership with Tech Valley Security, trained CDTA Ambassadors will be on select routes and will rotate throughout CDTA’s route network. Their presence is intended to provide customers with an approachable, visible resource focused on assistance and engagement.
Customers have always been able to report concerns through the CATS Customer Service line or the “Report a Problem to CATS” feature in the CATS-Pass mobile app; however, CATS has also integrated a Text-a-Tip line, giving riders multiple, easy-to-use channels to get support.
