WASHINGTON - Metro's board of directors is preparing to make major changes to the way trains run in light of Monday's deadly collision.

At a Metro board meeting on Thursday, all eyes will be on the 1000 series trains, the type of train involved in Monday's crash.

Nearly 30 percent of Metro's fleet are 1000 series train cars, but federal investigators have determined that they aren't crashworthy. The National Transportation Safety Board recommended to Metro back in 2006 that they phase out the fleet.

But Metro board member Jim Graham says it would cost $3 million per car to replace the aging trains, adding up to $900 million.

The problem is that Metro doesn't have a dedicated source of funding and relies on the federal government and Virginia and Maryland state governments for much of its capital.

Senator Barbara Mikulski says she wants to change that. "Washington Metro really is America's subway... and America needs to take ownership of this subway," Mikulski said.

Still, major upgrades to the Metro system would take time. Even if new cars were ordered today, Metro officials say it would take three to five years to get them on the tracks.

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