Beginning in December, Metro trains in the Washington metropolitan area will return to self-driving after a 15-year hiatus due to a deadly collision on the Red Line that killed nine people. 

Automatic train operation is actually found to be safer and more efficient than manually operated trains as it isn’t prone to human errors of missing platforms and sudden jolts of accelerations or slowdowns. Trains will also face fewer delays as they will be able to run at their maximum allowed speed. The agency says once fully automated, trains will be running faster at an average of 4 mph.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the crash on the Red Line was not caused by the automatically operated system but by a problem with the track signals that sense where trains are located on the tracks. Metro spent $106 million to replace 1,7000 circuit tracks, and leadership decided to end self-piloting trains in order to focus on safety and service problems. The board found there was “an ineffective safety culture” where necessary maintenance was flouted. Ultimately, these findings led to the establishment of the Metrorail Safety Commission in 2017.

Metro also found that many of its employees didn’t know how to operate the technology, and they were also focused on dealing with troubles in its 7000 series fleet.

But now, by summer 2025, all rails are expected to be fully automated. 

However, in construction areas or for the Fourth of July, the trains will return to being operated manually.  

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The move to become fully automated will have no effect on staffing levels as all trains will have an operator trained to monitor the system. 

Just last year, Metro reintroduced automatically opening doors since the 2009 crash.