by Andrew Walden

Four months after the “biggest changing of the guard in the DC Metro Board’s history”, Board members are putting Metro “back on track” by firing Ansaldo.

The Washington Post April 9 explains:

Metro plans to spend $215 million over the next five years to replace a long-troubled series of rail cars, according to transit agency documents and officials.

The 100 cars in Metro’s 4000-series fleet have been plagued by problems with brakes, lights and air conditioning, and the transit agency is opting to replace them years ahead of schedule.

Metro board member Tom Downs once called the 4000-series rail cars a “fleet full of dogs,” saying the chronic breakdowns were “killing” the agency.

Made for Metro by the Italian manufacturer then known as Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, the 4000-series cars were delivered in the early 1990s and would ordinarily have been due for an overhaul. But the transit agency says it will forgo that work, which would cost about $1.5 million a car, and instead buy new cars under a contract it has with Kawaski to build its new 7000-series rail car.

Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie is now known as AnsaldoBreda--the company holding a multi-million dollar contract to manufacture and maintain rail cars for Honolulu's planned rail transit line.

It is not just “the agency” which is being killed.  Ansaldo accepts liability for a June 22, 2009 train wreck at the DC Metro Fort Totten station which killed nine and injured dozens more.  

According to the company’s Federal Court filing February 13, 2012, Ansaldo STS USA, Inc acknowledges it “supplied components that were part of Metrorail’s train control and detection system.”

The Washington Post February 16, 2012 points out: “In its final report on the June 22, 2009, accident, the National Transportation Safety Board said a malfunction of the automatic train control system was the direct cause of the crash.”

In declining to contest liability, Ansaldo asked the court to suppress:

• Any document produced from the files of any Defendant
• Evidence of any prior incidents or “near misses” on any transit system,including the WMATA Metrorail
• Evidence of any alleged design defects, manufacturing defects or that any Defendant was on notice of any defect or dangerous condition before the accident

Three days later, Federal Judge Reggie B. Walton issued a gag order.

The DC Metro system has switched to manual operation since the Fort Totten incident.  Ansaldo’s Honolulu rail cars will be driverless.

Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie in the mid 1990s serviced the Series 1000 cars involved in the Fort Totten wreck, performing the same type of overhaul which the DC Metro Board is now spending $215M to avoid repeating. 

Washington DC, is not the only Metro service having trouble with Ansaldo.  The Boston Globe November 12, 2007 reports: 

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority signed a $222 million contract in 1995 with an Italian company now known as AnsaldoBreda to provide the trains. The company was supposed to deliver 100 "Breda" cars, but T officials halted delivery of the trains in 2004 after frequent breakdowns and a $50 million lawsuit from AnsaldoBreda over the terms of the contract.

T officials have fumed over the years that it was their worst purchase ever. The sides settled in 2005 and agreed to work together to put 85 trains back on the tracks, using the remaining train parts as spares….

After fighting for a decade with an Italian company that MBTA officials once accused of supplying defective Green Line trolleys, the T said yesterday that it has solved past problems and will take an additional 10 cars from the company.

For riders on the T's most-crowded line, that will mean more trains available for service, resulting in fewer delays, said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA.

That’s the same Daniel Grabauskas who now directs the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

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