On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it will hold a public hearing February 23 to 24, 2010, as part of its ongoing investigation into the collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Red Line trains in June that occurred between the Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations in Washington, D.C. As a result of this accident, there were nine fatalities and numerous injuries.

The two-day hearing will convene at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the hearing will be to gather additional factual information for the investigation. It will be chaired by Member Robert L. Sumwalt who, along with investigators, will hear from those the NTSB calls to testify regarding a number of issues, including the adequacy of WMATA's actions to address safety issues; the adequacy of state safety oversight of rail transit systems, including the Tri-State Oversight Committee; and the adequacy of federal safety oversight of rail transit systems.

"Millions of people travel by transit in this country every day and expect the highest level of safety while traveling on those systems," said Member Robert Sumwalt. "This hearing will contribute important information both to the WMATA investigation and to the public's knowledge about transit safety oversight in systems across the nation."

An agenda, a list of witnesses, and Webcast details will be posted on the NTSB's Website when available.