by MCL1981
You can't make this crap up if you tried.
According to FTA, as Metro continued to expand and add new rail cars to its fleet in the late-1970s and ‘80s, a culture developed: maintenance needs required train cars to constantly be shifted and moved around and to speed up the process, the agency stored railcars overnight without setting and releasing the handbrakes.https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tr ... _tw-bottom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The pattern persists today. FTA says “due to challenges in applying handbrakes, the length of time required to apply them, and the difficulty in confirming their disengagement prior to moving trains under power, supervisors in rail transportation and car maintenance generally discourage use of these safety devices.”