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Capital MetroRail Update

On Friday, March 13, Capital Metro received notification from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) of allegations issued against rail contractor Veolia Transportation. The allegations are in reference to incidents in February where two Veolia rail supervisors operating MetroRail trains entered a section of track without prior authorization during system testing.

Veolia is investigating this matter thoroughly and working with the FRA and TxDOT to address this issue.

Based on this incident and additional issues identified during rail testing over the past several weeks, Capital Metro will allow more time for Veolia to complete the training of engineers and dispatchers and additional testing of the rail line. Capital Metro is working with Veolia to establish a revised timeline for the start of service initially planned for Monday, March 30.

"Safety is always the most important factor," said Capital Metro President/Chief Executive Officer Fred Gilliam. "The extra time will help ensure all components of the system are ready. We look forward to offering a safe, reliable and high quality transportation option to Central Texas commuters."

Veolia Transportation has issued the following statement:

Ensuring the safety of our operations, employees and customers is the first priority of Veolia Transportation. As construction crews work overtime to complete the new 32-mile Capital Metro Commuter railroad in Austin, Capital Metro and Veolia Transportation management is reminding all concerned to remain focused on safety. Our Vice President of Safety and Compliance is working closely with Capital Metro management, the Federal Railroad Administration and Texas Department of Transportation to ensure the safety of this new rail service.

Recently, we identified instances where the operators of two training vehicles traveling within the limits of a testing track did not comply with all of the applicable operating rules. Appropriate discipline and retraining of the employees involved in this incident is being undertaken. The extensive training period we are in is standard and designed to assure that all employees are fully prepared and that all systems and facilities are fully operational and rigorously tested.

TXDOT findings are preliminary and further review and investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration will be undertaken before any findings are made final.

We continue to work very hard toward the historic opening of this rail service, but we will only commence service when the safety of the riding public is assured.


line seperatorCapital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200