More than 65 Regional Rail trains have been canceled already this week, as SEPTA pushes to complete thorough inspections of its 50-year-old rail cars to meet a federal deadline following a series of fires.
SEPTA is also nearing a deal to borrow coaches from a Maryland-based transit agency and has begun the process to purchase replacement vehicles, a multi-year procurement that is expected to cost $2 billion.
As of Monday morning, the authority had 30 more of the older cars, known as the Silverliner IV fleet, left to inspect, having already checked 193, spokesperson Andrew Busch told Metro. They are on track to wrap up by Friday, in accordance with a Federal Railroad Administration timeline.
Crews have also begun installing thermal protection circuits, designed to detect when components are overheating. Federal regulators have stipulated that the devices must be hooked up to all Silverliner IV cars by Dec. 5.
SEPTA was initially supposed to have both tasks completed by the end of October; however, President Donald Trump’s administration granted the authority’s request for a deadline extension.
Riders have been dealing with canceled trips, delays and crowded cars since Oct. 1. That’s when the FRA ordered SEPTA to implement more than a dozen safety measures after the National Transportation Safety Board published a report about five Silverliner IV fires between February and September of this year.
But Regional Rail disruptions may be reaching new heights this week, amid efforts to comply with the directive and repair vehicles. A notice posted on the authority’s website warns of “extremely limited vehicle availability.”
On Sunday afternoon, SEPTA said that 22 trips would be scrapped Monday on the Fox Chase, Chestnut Hill West and Airport lines. Those same trains were also canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.
Busch said the authority cut trips on those lines because Airport trains typically run more frequently than other Regional Rail service, and Chestnut Hill West and Fox Chase riders have alternative transit options. The intention is that cancellations will continue to impact those routes this week, if necessary, he added.
Officials urged riders to check septa.org or the SEPTA mobile app for the latest schedule information, particularly on the evening before they need to take the train.
“After these inspections are completed, service should gradually improve through the end of the year as the inspected vehicles are repaired and returned to service,” the authority’s website reads.
Busch noted that SEPTA will likely need to continue to conduct enhanced maintenance on the Silverliner IV cars, which account for more than 60% of the Regional Rail fleet, going forward. Officials have not singled out a cause for the fires; a federal probe is ongoing.
In the short- and medium-term, authority leaders are discussing the possibility of purchasing or borrowing vehicles from other agencies to bolster Regional Rail service.
SEPTA is closing in on a deal to lease 10 cars from the Maryland Area Rail Commuter, or MARC, system, which provides train service to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Busch told Metro. The vehicles could be transported to Philadelphia late next month or early January, officials said.
Several years down the line, the authority intends to completely replace the Silverliner IV vehicles, which were purchased by a SEPTA predecessor, the Reading Company, between 1974 and 1976.
Transit leaders recently issued a request for proposals, or RFP, inviting manufacturers to apply to build 234 rail cars, with an option for an additional 92. The vehicles would arrive in batches from 2030 to 2033, according to the RFP documents.
Proposals from companies are due in April, and SEPTA expects to have to take out a loan to afford the purchase.
To expedite the process, SEPTA is exploring the potential of ‘piggy-backing’ on a contract from another transit agency to acquire cars already in production, but it’s not yet clear whether that will be possible, Busch said.
