SEPTA requests extension on inspection deadline

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — SEPTA will miss its October 31 deadline to inspect all 223 Silverliner IV railcars following a federal emergency order. As of Friday morning, only 111 have been examined, and 47 have returned to service.

“We’re doing the best we can,” said Greg Buzby, SEPTA Regional Rail Vehicle Engineering Manager. “We’re working around the clock, at all the locations, all the shifts. A lot of these guys are working doubles.”

SEPTA said it has spent 7,000 hours inspecting the 50-year-old railcars that sparked safety concerns after a National Transportation Safety Board report that the Silverliner IV railcar design was outdated and posed a fire risk. They began investigating the transit agency because of a series of fires on this particular railcar.

“This is the wire that’s strung through all of these control boxes underneath the car,” Buzby said, showing the new thermal detectors installed into each Silverliner4 railcar. “If anything becomes hotter than it’s supposed to be, then it’ll just immediately shut down the car.”

The ordered inspections forced SEPTA to reduce the trains from six railcars to four or two, which has led to overcrowding, delays, and cancellations on the lines where Silverliner IV railcars operate, including the Warminster line, the Trenton line, the Wilmington/Newark line and the Chestnut Hill West line.

“It’s been terrible,” said Colin Cherico of Blue Bell, Pa. “It’s unbelievable that I’m leaving my house two hours before I need to get to work every day.”

SEPTA has stressed that safety is a priority, and while they understand the frustration of their customers, they said the inspections will take time. The transit agency filed for an extension. If the FRA denies their request, they will consider buying or leasing more railcars as a short-term solution.