Federal Officials Order Washington Metro To Address Safety

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal officials have issued a directive ordering the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to fix more than 200 lingering safety issues in the district's transit system.

The Federal Transit Administration issued the 51-page directive Tuesday.

The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/1NwdzNS ) that some of the safety issues date to 2008 but have languished because a regional body that previously monitored day-to-day safety at Metro lacked the authority to force agency officials to act.

Metro board chairman Mortimer Downey says the agency knows the issues need to be resolved and that it was appropriate for the FTA follow up on them.

A spokesman for Metro, which has 30 days to respond to the directive, says it provides helpful clarity and direction, and that the agency is already working on corrective actions.

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