ALEXANDRIA, VA-On Friday, May 23, riders of the Metro’s Yellow and Green lines saw a new permanent addition to their daily commute: Automatic Train Operation, or ATO.
Under ATO, Metro trains automatically accelerate and decelerate using signals and commands from track equipment as a guide, leading to “a smoother ride, enhanced safety, and improved on-time performance” according to a WMATA press release.
Although most train operations will be automated, human operators will still be in the driver’s cab, albeit with much fewer duties. They will now only be in charge of opening and closing doors, looking out for track defects and managing passenger safety onboard and on-station.
“ATO is not used during inclement weather, single tracking, and when workers are on the tracks,” according to the press release.
All of WMATA’s trains used ATO since the agency’s opening in 1976, having been originally designed for the automated system. They only switched to manual control in 2009, when a deadly collision on the Red Line killed nine people and injured 80 more. Although authorities identified the cause of the crash as a track circuit defect, the automatic system was still partly responsible, putting it to rest for over a decade.
Last December, WMATA re-instituted ATO on the Red Line after extensive testing. The line has seen no safety issues since.
However, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC), which oversees WMATA, expressed concerns about station “overruns” under ATO: Incidents where the train stops at the wrong spot in the station, driving one or more cars into the adjacent tunnel during the stop. In fact, 38% of overruns are by three or more train cars. Train doors do not open during an overrun, prohibiting passengers from boarding or leaving the train at that station. Since December, there have been 217 overruns on the Red line, or about three out of every 10,000 station stops—Although the incidents have been decreasing over time.
In response, WMATA has pointed out that ATO trains have not once ran a red signal, a big safety hazard which human operators sometimes mess up on.
“Overrunning a station is an inconvenience and a nuisance and an annoyance, but it’s not generally a safety issue,” said Russ Quimby, a rail safety specialist. “Running a red light is a big safety issue.”
WMATA CEO Randy Clarke took this one step further, arguing that ATO would make the system even more safe. Eventually, WMSC gave the go-ahead for expansions to the system.
The benefits of ATO go beyond safety. For example, riders unanimously praise the improved smoothness of ATO trains. The automatic trains don’t abruptly lurch forward anymore as the operator hastily applies the gas pedal, and they always accelerate and decelerate smoothly. At top speeds in between stations, the trains maintain a constant speed under the automatic system, almost as if they are being put in cruise control.
“I thought I was a smooth operator,” one train operator shared, “but the ATO is very smooth, no hiccups or anything.”
Furthermore, ATO makes Metro trains slightly faster: Since WMATA implemented it on the Red Line, the line’s hour-long trip from one end to the other has gotten eight minutes shorter. “It keeps the trains on time,” the operator said.
“Our team’s commitment to returning to ATO implementation has been nothing short of amazing,” said Clarke.
WMATA expects to automate all six lines by the end of 2025.
SEE ALSO: Hassell III Has a Night to Remember in MLB Debut
