SEPTA likely to miss railcar inspection deadline

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — SEPTA is running out of time to inspect 223 Silverliner IV railcars by the October 31st deadline, a direction from the Federal Rail Administration. 

SEPTA has only inspected 82 railcars, according to Action News at 10 on PHL17.

“It’s going to be very challenging, but we’re going to work for it,” said SEPTA Spokesperson Andrew Busch. “The reality is that we just have too many railcars left to finish by next Friday.”

Dozens of railcars have been removed from service and are waiting to be evaluated following a report by NTSB finding that the Silverliner IV design posed a fire risk. The directive stems from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation after a series of fires earlier this year.

SEPTA will likely file for an extension as it misses the deadline on inspections. The Board met on Thursday to discuss ways to avoid service cuts as its financial crisis continues. As a possible solution to the removed railcars, SEPTA is looking into leasing railcars from neighboring states. 

Some of the affected lines include Chestnut Hill West, Warminster, Trenton and Wilmington/Newark.

Riders are encouraged to check the SEPTA app and website for alerts, delays, and cancellations.