Congressional Hearing on DC Metro

The GMU community might be interested in the Congressional hearing occurring now (as this is posted) on the state of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which is responsible for the regional subway system known colloquially to locals as Metro. The hearing is before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and was prompted in part by a spate of recent accidents, some fatal, as well as the Metro system's ongoing budget problems. Many of those safety and operational issues are outlined in a Congressional Research Service report available here (PDF).

Clicking here will take you to the Committee's web page on the hearing, which includes a link to the live feed (the archived footage will likely be available through that page later). From the site:

The Committee will address WMATA’s efforts to improve safety and service in the wake of a spate of accidents that have occurred within the Metro system over the past year; the short and long-term solutions for addressing the budget shortfall currently confronting WMATA; and the process for selecting a permanent General Manager for WMATA and establishing effective long term leadership.

In addition to WMATA management personnel, the committee will hear from a federal transportation official, a representative of the WMATA employees union, and a member of the WMATA rider advisory panel. Their full printed testimonies are available at the Oversight Committee's web page.