NTSB: Metro was asked to retrofit some rail cars

WASHINGTON — A federal safety investigator says a 2004 Metro system accident led to requests to the subway system to retrofit or remove some older cars from service but that it was not done.

Debbie Hersman, in an interview with The Associated Press, said officials are not yet certain that the same kind of cars, known as the 1000 Series, were involved in the deadly rush-hour collision Monday that killed nine people and injured scores of others, many seriously.

She said Metro at the time, in 2006, “was not able to do what we asked them to do.”

Hersman emphasized on Tuesday, however, that she wanted to be cautious about suggesting the cause of the rear-end collision. She noted that the work of investigators was still under way and that, among other things, they were still searching the accident scene for the existence of any data recorders.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal investigators are looking for recorders or other devices that could tell them how fast a Washington subway train was going when it plowed into another train, killing nine and injuring scores of others during the height of Monday’s afternoon rush hour.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said Tuesday the train may have a recording device that would give its speed at the time of the crash and whether it was being operated manually or automatically when it hit the other train Monday in the nation’s capital.

During Tuesday’s morning rush, Metro officials warned commuters to expect delays throughout the system. Service on MARC’s Brunswick line in Maryland was suspended, and auto traffic was being rerouted several streets in Washington were closed.

Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said Tuesday that it had “made recommendations to various entities,” including the metropolitan and federal government, to improve safety standards.

Nine people were killed and scores of others were injured, some seriously, in the accident along a part of Metro system track that carries passengers from the District of Columbia into suburban Maryland.