LOS ANGELES — The county’s rail system is plagued by maintenance, safety and oversight problems that could endanger passengers, a state audit found, the Associated Press reports.
The 111-page review completed this month by the Public Utilities Commission found the Metropolitan Transit Authority had “unacceptable problems” at one of its maintenance facilities and found fault with the way the agency investigates accidents.
Richard Clark, director of rail safety for the commission, said he was concerned the MTA is not “making safety enough of a priority.”
On Friday, a Metro Blue Line commuter train struck and killed a 16-year-old girl as she ran across the tracks, authorities said. The accident near the San Pedro station was under investigation, but police said it appeared the teenager was trying to catch the train as it pulled into the station.
“We had an accident where a car crossed a crossing gate and killed someone,” MTA spokesman Marc Littman said Sunday. “How do you call that maintenance?”
The death was the 64st along the light railway linking Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles since the 22-mile line opened in 1990. The majority of the deaths were either caused by cars crashing into the trains or suicides, Littman said.
The MTA, the nation’s second largest transit agency, has until January to bring itself into compliance. The audit found the MTA failed to meet standards or needed significant improvements in 29 areas.
MTA officials have contested the PUC’s findings, saying the review is flawed because it’s based on inspections made a year ago.