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On June 22, 2009, two transit trains in Washington, DC, collided, resulting in nine deaths and dozens of injuries. It was the worst crash in the history of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's rail transit system. This crash has raised questions about the safety of rail transit and the governments role in ensuring that safety. Nationwide, rail transit is considered one of the safest modes of transportation. Every weekday more than 7 million people board rail transit vehicles in the United States; in the most recent year for which statistics are available, 2007, 188 people died in rail transit incidents. Most of those deaths occurred on commuter rail operations; 32 people were killed in incidents involving heavy rail transit, and another 32 in incidents involving light rail transit. Rail transit operations are an inherently local activity, and the federal government has limited responsibility for the safety of rail transit operations. Congress directed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to establish the State Safety Oversight Program in 1991; this program went into effect in 1997. Under this program, states are responsible for the safety of the rail transit systems within their borders. States are required to establish a state safety oversight ...