Washington DC's Metro subway system is so understaffed some drivers are operating trains while DRUNK - with terrifying results

The subway system in the nation's capital has failed to ensure safety measures are in place and is so understaffed that some employees are operating trains drunk, a watchdog audit found.

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission discussed the results of it's D.C. Metro safety report on Tuesday, reported The Washington Post.

One incident in the report involved a drunk train operator driving an Orange Line train for two hours on September 10.

The operator finished a shift the night before then drank alcohol and slept for a few hours before clocking back in for an overtime shift at 5:45 a.m. the next day. 

'There's nothing in place to keep a train operator from working as many consecutive days as he wants,' said Robert Lauby, a commissioner on the board.

The Washington DC Metro system has failed to ensure safety measures are in place and is so understaffed that some employees are operating trains drunk, a watchdog found

Another incident in November involved two trains coming within 150 of colliding at the Huntington metro station because of a misaligned switch.

The supervisor who put the switch in the wrong direction was working his 11th consecutive day, according to the report. 

The report also found there is inconsistent adherence to rules, outdated safety information, poor hazard tracking and inadequate training throughout the Metrorail.

In one instance, on June 20 a train that should have stopped instead received a command allowing it to go 55 mph, reported WJLA.

A northbound Blue Line train with passengers was traveling in Alexandria when it approached a switch south of the King Street station and should have received a command to stop.

Instead, they were told they could go as fast as up to 55 mph and almost collided with another train.

In November, two trains coming within 150 of colliding at the Huntington metro station because of a misaligned switch

The investigation found employees accidentally overrode the Automatic Train Protection system, which prevents trains from colliding, during routine maintenance testing.

D.C. Metro workers are required to get eight hours off every 16 hours and every 12 hours for controllers, but that that break includes all time between shifts leaving some with only a few hours to sleep.

The union representing workers and the Metro are currently in contract negotiations. 

'The safety of riders and workers are among our highest priorities,' a union spokesperson told The Post.