SEPTA granted extension to finish inspecting Silverliner IV railcars

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — SEPTA now has until November 14 to finish inspecting its Silverliner IV fleet, the transit agency announced Friday afternoon.

Citing a National Transportation Safety Board warning, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) ordered the transit agency

earlier this month to inspect all of its 223 Silverliner IV railcars after a series of fires on the aging trains. An October 31 deadline was set.

Concerned it would miss the deadline, SEPTA requested an extension from the FRA, since, as of Friday morning, the transit agency had completed inspections on about half of the impacted railcars. The FRA granted the extension on Friday.

“We are grateful for the FRA’s collaboration, and we are committed to following through on the required actions so that we can continue returning safe and reliable service to our customers,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. This has been a herculean effort by our workforce to establish this process and execute the required work, and I am confident in our ability to complete these tasks in a timely manner.”

In addition to the inspection extension, the FRA also extended the deadline for SEPTA to install thermal protection circuits on the Silverliner IV fleet. By December 5, the transit agency needs to install the devices, which are designed to interrupt the flow of electricity to an overheating device.

SEPTA riders have been facing service disruptions because of the railcar inspections.

“We know our Regional Rail riders have been subjected to crowded conditions, pass ups, delays, and cancellations, and we expect those service disruptions to continue as we complete this critical safety work,” Sauer said. “We sincerely appreciate our riders’ patience and understanding.”

SEPTA said it will post updates on its safety progress requirements on its website.