Rail Car Fires Fan the Flames of SEPTA Budget Crisis
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By Melina Zevallos
SEPTA’s Silverliner IV rail car fire inspections could delay trains for months, says General Manager Scott Sauer.
SEPTA has been given an October 31st deadline to complete their inspections on the Silverliner IV fleet, but General Manager Scott Sauer called the deadline “aggressive” and expressed doubts about their ability to meet the deadline. If they can’t make it, the current delays experienced by riders could extend for months, until at least the end of the year.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) is the public transit authority responsible for bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, and light rail services in and around the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It services nearly four million people with its 345 rail cars, more than half of which are the sidelined Silverliner IV fleet.
There have been five fires in the Silverliner IV fleet since February of this year, prompting the National Transportation Safety Board to order the rail cars suspended until all 225 are inspected.
The recent fires and subsequent inspections have escalated the delays caused by the public transportation authority’s recent budget crisis. In early September, SEPTA proposed a 9 P.M. curfew and other service cuts as a way to manage the crisis, but a judge ruled against it.
Many riders have been expressing their frustration both online and in person. At a recent hearing for City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Utilities local riders brought their complaints directly to GM Scott Sauer, citing the disruption this has brought to their daily lives.
A frequent rider, Robin Burke of North Philadelphia said “I have taken the BSL to tailgate games many times, if they cut the trains after 9 P.M. like their original plan was, I would take the trains there and either leave early or take multiple buses or bus and an uber home.”
A new budget proposal would cut nearly $400 million in funding for building new stations, refurbishing old ones, purchasing new buses and upgrading old ones. SEPTA says this is necessary to keep their normal operations running.
SEPTA remains pessimistic about their ability to finish the inspections by the deadline and is unsure what the consequences will be. As of October 28th, they have inspected 95 of the total 225 in the Silverliner IV fleet and only 30 have been returned to service.
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