FRA extends SEPTA's Silverliner IV railcar inspection deadline by 2 weeks
The Federal Railroad Administration has given SEPTA two more weeks to finish inspecting its Silverliner IV railcars, the transit authority said Friday. SEPTA now has until Friday, Nov. 14, to finish inspecting its 223-railcar fleet.
SEPTA says it's completed inspections on 120 of its 223 railcars and believes it can meet the new deadline.
The FRA also extended the deadline for the transit authority to install thermal protection circuits — "a safety mechanism designed to interrupt the flow of electricity to an overheating device," SEPTA says — on its Silverliner IV railcars until Friday, Dec. 5.
SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer said customers should expect to see service disruptions on the Regional Rail through the end of the calendar year, but service will improve as more railcars are sent back into service.
"Customers probably won't see service returned like it was, say, in September, probably until the end of the year," Sauer said.
Sauer said so far, 48 cars have been inspected and are back running.
The FRA gave SEPTA until Oct. 31 to complete an inspection of its railcars in the aftermath of five fires on the model in the Philadelphia region since February.
SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said earlier this week the transit authority expects to finish the inspection by Friday, Nov. 14.
Busch said earlier this week that SEPTA has been working on securing extra cars from transit agencies, including NJ Transit and Maryland Area Rail Commuter, in the region.