Transportation chief creates special adviser for Metro safety

Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx is appointing the agency’s general counsel to serve as his special adviser on Washington Metrorail oversight in light of critical safety issues facing the transit agency, according to a DOT spokesman.

{mosads}Kathryn Thomson, who was exiting her job as general counsel for DOT, will now stay on through September as Foxx’s special adviser on Metro safety oversight.

Thomson will begin her duties this week, according to the spokesman.

The newly created and temporary position comes as Metro has scrambled to address ongoing safety issues, unveiling a massive and disruptive new maintenance plan earlier this month.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which falls under DOT, was granted temporary oversight of the beleaguered transit agency in the fall, but some lawmakers and federal safety officials have questioned whether FTA has the teeth to enforce safety oversight.

Foxx told reporters he isn’t afraid to shut down the system or withhold funds from Metro — a move he was just given the authority to do in last year’s surface transportation bill.

Thomson is expected to work with the local jurisdictions to establish a new state safety oversight body and coordinate with FTA to ensure Metro is complying with safety directives.