In SEPTA’s ideal future, Regional Rail trains will come every 15 minutes, and riders of the L (formerly the Market-Frankford Line) will not have to wait more than three minutes.
Those goals were set out in “Accelerate,” a long-term vision the authority released Tuesday to bring together many of its capital and operational initiatives, some of which are already underway.
When Scott Sauer became SEPTA’s general manager in June 2025, he adopted a “back to basics” approach and faced a litany of challenges, from a funding crisis to failing rail cars. Now, he says, the regional transit system has stabilized – to a degree – and is ready to think bigger.
“Imagine a region where SEPTA is a reason to move here, to work here, to locate or expand a business here,” he said at a news conference Tuesday morning near the fare gates at the L’s Drexel Station/30th Street.
Sauer said the authority is undertaking an “unprecedented” effort to replace three major rail fleets. The new vehicles are integral to improving service levels and reducing maintenance costs, according to the plan.
Later this year, he said, SEPTA will sign a deal to purchase new Regional Rail cars to replace the 50-year-old Silverliner IVs, which were temporarily sidelined in October due to federal scrutiny over a series of fires.
The 230 rail cars are expected to arrive between 2030 and 2035, officials said. The vehicles, along with station improvements, are key to Reimagining Regional Rail, an existing program that is featured heavily in Accelerate.
Once fully implemented, SEPTA intends to run three "S" through-running lines, providing trains every 15 minutes on the Airport, Wawa, Fox Chase, Paoli, Chestnut Hill East and Norristown lines. The move would nearly double the authority’s frequent rail network and add service equal to Boston’s rapid transit system.
Sauer said his team will work to “shrink those headways” within the next three to five years; the expectation for 15-minute service is “more than five years, hopefully not much more than 10.’
The transit agency is planning to begin rolling out 200 new subway cars on the L, SEPTA’s most-used line, in 2029. Accelerate states that the vehicle replacement will allow for a 25% increase in frequency.
Trolley Modernization involves the purchase of 130 streetcars and transforming stops to ensure accessibility for riders with mobility challenges.
If SEPTA completes all of the projects contemplated in Accelerate, more than 2 million people would live within a quarter mile of frequent transit, compared to 900,000 currently. All stations would also be accessible, up from 60%.
“These are not pie-in-the-sky ideas,” SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth Lawrence Jr. said. “We are leveraging work that has already been performed, making progress on projects that are now underway, and preparing to advance new initiatives. There will also be a few big swings that will help define mobility in this region for generations to come.”
Sauer balked when asked to put a dollar figure on the plan, though Trolley Modernization and vehicle replacements for the L and Regional Rail are expected to cost $9 billion.
“How quickly do we want to get there?” he said. “Because we'll get there. We're still going to move in that direction. It's just a matter of are we going to get there in 50 years, 25 years, or 10 years.”
SEPTA continues to face a budget shortfall of nearly $200 million. A temporary arrangement to utilize capital dollars to fund day-to-day operations expires at the end of the current fiscal year in June.
Accelerate notes that, because of rising prices and aging infrastructure, “maintaining current funding levels does not mean business as usual, it means dismantling the state’s largest transit system, piece by piece.”
Even so, the plan sends a “much stronger message” to Harrisburg lawmakers and other stakeholders about the value of investing in SEPTA, Sauer said, compared to the doomsday scenarios floated and partially implemented in recent years.
Transit advocates largely praised the ambitious vision, although Corinne Lagermasini, of 5th Square, said SEPTA needs to provide a “concrete timeline” for expanding transit service along Roosevelt Boulevard and to the Navy Yard.
Both projects, and other talked-about initiatives, are referred to in a map included in Accelerate, though the report makes it clear that SEPTA is prioritizing improving service along its current rails before building new tracks.
MORE: What riders need to know about SEPTA’s bus network overhaul
SEPTA’s Accelerate plan lays out a long-term vision to dramatically increase transit frequency, replace aging rail fleets and make the system more accessible, with Regional Rail trains running every 15 minutes and L trains every three minutes.
Accelerate is a multi-year, generational effort, with projects rolling out in phases, according to SEPTA.
Once fully implemented, SEPTA intends to run three "S" through-running lines, providing trains every 15 minutes on the Airport, Wawa, Fox Chase, Paoli, Chestnut Hill East and Norristown lines.
SEPTA’s general manager Scott Sauer balked when asked to put a dollar figure on the plan, though Trolley Modernization and vehicle replacements for the L and Regional Rail are expected to cost $9 billion.
