The idea is simple — since the federal government invests taxpayers’ money in transit systems around the country, it wants to exercise more oversight, particularly on safety issues. Rachel Swarns reports in the New York Times that federal officials are concerned: As subway and light rail systems try to cut costs, there is the danger they will skimp on safety standards as well. The proposal, now being finalized by the Department of Transportation, will require states to prove they have “enough fully-trained staff members to enforce federal safety rules.” The federal government is ready to invest more in safety, as it is proposing to “cover the costs of salaries and benefits for state employees overseeing standards.”
One problem this new proposal could run into is the great variety of management models used by transit systems around the country. In the Washington, D.C. region, mass transit is run by WMATA, a regional body whose board is chosen to represent the interests of nine different municipal or county entities. Understanding Government pointed out the challenges of managing a regional entity this way in a report published last year. As one expert in Swarns’ article says, “this is a great idea . . . but implementation is going to be extremely difficult.” We’ll have to wait for the full DOT proposal, but right now, it’s hard to see how this reform would introduce greater uniformity of safety enforcement. -NH
