The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is moving to get a new leader for its Rail Operations Control Center following a number of safety violations in its rail system.
Paul Wiedefeld, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of WMATA, issued a memo on Monday, June 22 to announce the decision.
“The Rail Operations Control Center is vital to the safe and reliable operation of daily Metrorail service, as well as support for maintenance and capital construction projects. In recent years, the ROCC has made many improvements, including ramping up staffing, improving training, and achieving better reliability for our customers,” Wiedefeld said.
“Under Lisa Woodruff’s leadership, the ROCC team has improved customer satisfaction and worked tirelessly through Metro’s pandemic response to maintain service for essential travel, while protecting the health and safety of our employees at two locations. While this represents important progress, a strong safety culture requires constant vigilance and continuous improvement. The ROCC must be the backbone of that culture.”
He added that the agency needed to work “to transform Metro’s safety culture from reactive risk management to proactive risk management.”
Deltrin Harris has served as the director of Center for over three years. WMATA is now starting a national search for a new ROCC director, according to Wiedefeld’s statement.