Metro (WMATA)

Metro trains overrun stations on 1st day of automatic operations on Red Line

Trains on Metro's Red Line finally switched back to automatic train operation (ATO) Sunday, more than 15 years after a deadly crash. The cause of that crash was later found to be a track defect, not ATO

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On the first day of Metro’s Red Line switching to an automatic train operation system, there were a few instances where trains have overrun stations. News4’s Derrick Ward reports.

On the first day that Metro trains on the Red Line switched back to automatic train operation (ATO), there were a few instances where trains overran stations, a Metro spokesperson said.

The Metro spokesperson said there were no impacts to Red Line service and that the ATO system was "performing well with only minor, first-day adjustments.”

Metro is monitoring and making adjustments, according to the spokesperson.

Sunday was the first time in 15 years that Red Line trains ran on the ATO system. According to Metro's website, ATO could mean more on-time trains, quicker speeds and an overall smoother ride.

Metro first used ATO when it opened its doors to the public in 1976 but suspended ATO after the 2009 Metro crash, which killed nine people and injured another 80. The cause of the crash was later found to be a track defect, not ATO.

The Red Line is Metro's first line to return to ATO.

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