On the recordFebruary 23, 2010
I rise to speak about the current state of affairs in the Washington Metro and why we need to bring about change. The Washington Metro, America's subway, is in trouble. I fear for its safety. I fear for its operational reliance. I fear for the well-being of both the passengers and the workers who ride Metro. Every morning, I am afraid to wake up and find out that there has been another accident or death on the Washington Metro. Most recently, a Metro train carrying 345 passengers derailed underground in the heart of downtown. It was Friday when the Federal Government reopened after our big No. 2 blizzard. The train somehow managed to get on the wrong track as it was leaving the station. Thank God a safety device actually worked and pushed the train off of the wrong track to prevent it from crashing into another train. Thankfully, a near miss. In June, there was a terrible crash of the Metro, cars upon cars upon cars. Since that time, 13 people have died on the Metro, and there have been countless injuries. That is why that terrible day after our No. 2 blizzard, many sat in the dark, scared to death. They were afraid of being crashed into, which had happened before. They were afraid of fire. They were afraid of smoke. They were afraid of being trapped and, most of all, they were afraid that Congress would fail to act.
