Accordingto a 44 page Inspector General report issued last week, lax Federal TransitAuthority supervision over construction of the 29 station, 23 mile, $6.8billion Silver Line rail service from Washington D.C. to Dulles InternationalAirport is leading to cost overruns, schedule delays, and imperiling passengersafety on the trains scheduled to begin service on part of the project nextyear. Plagued by political battles over funding and passenger safety, theproject has been attacked by politicians in some Virginia counties concernedthat construction of the rail line will destroy the pastoral nature of theircommunities.
Accordingto the IG report, FTA took 2 years to complete testing of bridge pilingscriticized by the project’s chief bridge manager as unsafe for rail operationsand below the FTA standard of 50 year useful life expectance, due in particularto excessive corrosion caused by stray electrical currents affecting thepilings nearest the power rails. Furthermore, the report points out, FTA hasnot yet insisted on a recovery plan from WMATA for late delivery of the railcars to move as many as 60,000 riders per day expected to use the line once itopens next year.
Congresswon’t approve a fiscal year budget, and attrition is taking a toll on the workforces of many federal government agencies as a result. Is it any wonder thatbureaucrats in understaffed offices like the FTA are taking too long to act onproblems they know about?
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder