Washington Metro Train Operators Caught Texting Will Be Fired

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Washington Metro train and bus operators caught texting while operating a vehicle will be fired immediately in a “zero tolerance” policy started after one of the workers was caught in the act.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority previously had a “three-strikes” policy on sending text messages in which the first offense resulted in a five-day suspension, the second a 10-day suspension and the third termination. The new policy takes effect July 13, the authority said in a statement.

The authority’s management has been under scrutiny since a June 22 accident in which one train plowed into the rear of another that was stopped on the track, killing nine people. U.S. investigators found a circuit that detects trains’ locations was malfunctioning. The operator of the moving train wasn’t using her mobile phone at the time, according to the statement today.

The new policy, which also applies to talking on a mobile phone and using other handheld devices, was announced the day after local media carried reports about a commuter train operator texting on the job. A video of the incident was posted on YouTube.

In Los Angeles last year, crew members on both a Metrolink passenger train and a Union Pacific Corp. freight locomotive that collided were sending text messages before the accident that killed 25 people, an inquiry showed.

To contact the reporters on this story: John Hughes in Washington at jhughes5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joseph Richter at jrichter1@bloomberg.net