Quality Assurance in Public Transportation

The Challenge

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) needed quality assurance, project management and technical support in the procurement of new rail cars.

The Solution

Starting with inspection services, UII's rail vehicle quality team is providing quality services through all stages of procurement, from design through warranty management.  Using our extensive experience on the 2000/3000 Series vehicle rehabilitation, we are currently supporting the WMATA in the procurement of the 5000 Series vehicles in the planning and execution of vehicle quality inspections in the car builder’s plants in Spain and in Maryland. Final acceptance inspection and testing are conducted on the WMATA property.  Additionally, we manage project scheduling and schedule surveillance of the projects.

The Impact

With UII’s support, WMATA is able to conduct ongoing studies for continuous improvement of all rail vehicle systems and ensures the availability of vehicles to support growing service to the public. Advancements in rail cars such as sophisticated train control, diagnostics, AC propulsion, and microprocessor technology all contribute to make WMATA's transportation service safer, more reliable, and more efficient.