the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 19, 2015
On the Washington, D.C. Metro subway on January 12, the third rail threw out a spark, with smoke then filling a Metro car. Terrified riders breathed in smoke for more than 35 minutes before firemen reached them. A few tried to help a woman who collapsed, and later died.
The final report on the cause of Monday’s Metro disaster is not out yet. But some things we know.
Metro still hasn’t followed the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations from the 2009 crash that killed nine people. They are behind in maintenance such as fixing water leaks on tracks. They are still using some rail cars from 1976, when the system opened.
These “accidents” could have been prevented.