WASHINGTON - Sources tell ABC 7 News that problems with a track signaling circuit that has been eyed as a potential cause in last week's fatal Metro crash had been confirmed before the June 22 incident on the Red Line.

The two trains collided last week, killing nine people and injuring more than 70.

The investigation has focused on so-called Wee-Z bonds, also known as impedance bonds, a part of the track circuit that detects trains and communicates that information with other trains and Metro headquarters. The Wee-Z bond on the section of track where the trains collided was replaced on June 17, five days before the crash, Metro and the NTSB said.

After the component was replaced, it began 'bobbing', or intermittently malfunctioning, the sources tell ABC 7 News.

NTSB said its tests of the track after the crash also found intermittent failures to detect trains.

Frederick News-Post Documents

» News-Post's B2-304 Document

» News-Post's B2-312 Document

Documents obtained by the Frederick News-Post show the train-detection records around the time of the collision for the two circuits in question, B2-304 and B2-312. The record shows circuit B2-304, which should have detected the stopped train, as "occupied" at 16:57:01 and "vacant" at 16:57:03 -- moments before the crash at 5:02 p.m. The next signal on B2-304 is 40 minutes later, at 17:37:44, when it shows "occupied." That means there is no indication of the stopped train for the minutes before the crash, and more than 30 minutes afterwards. 

ABC 7's Brad Bell reports on the information in the Frederick News-Post documents.

Metro officials have said the transit agency was not aware of the problem until after the wreck. But sources tell ABC 7 News that the problem was not only known before the crash, but had been reported to supervisors days before the crash by technicians and entered into the computerized maintenance system.

A spokesperson for the transit workers union says he hopes the truth will be found.

The union is here to support the NTSB in regards to what they say and

According to information obtained by ABC 7 News, a Metro technician was dispatched to check on the Wee-Z bond when it first starting acting up after it was installed June 17 as part of routine maintenance. The technician confirmed there was a problem in the circuit, the sources said, but trains kept rolling.

A spokesperson for Metro says he can't comment on the claim.

"Ah, at this point, we don't have any information about that. That would be part of the NTSB investigation," said Steven Taubenkibel, a Metro spokesperson. "Any inforomation about that would be turned over to them as part of the investigation."

ABC 7's Brad Bell visually confirmed that most of the 1000-series train cars had been 'bellied' or cushioned inside newer train cars at the head and tail of trains.

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