SEPTA cancels Regional Rail trains again Tuesday as ripple effects from federal order continue
Some trains on SEPTA's Regional Rail are canceled again Tuesday as the Philadelphia-based transit agency continues to deal with the impacts of a federal order.
SEPTA says trains on the Chestnut Hill West and Fox Chase lines will be canceled in the morning and later in the day Tuesday.
Here are the trains that are canceled:
- Morning: 802, 809 and 814
- Day: 821, 826, 833, 838, 845, 850, 857, 862, 6844
SEPTA says Regional Rail service information for Wednesday will be provided as soon as it's available. SEPTA expects 10 rail cars from Maryland to be delivered this week. The agency is hoping to have them in service by the end of the month amid the railcar shortage.
SEPTA has been forced to cancel Regional Rail trains for a week now after the Federal Railroad Administration ordered the transit agency to inspect the 223 Silverliner IV cars following several fires on the model. Trains were also canceled Monday.
SEPTA said it completed the inspections last week, but leaders said it will still take some time until the full fleet is back on the tracks.
The cars are now being outfitted with thermal protection circuits, which have sensors that detect when a car is overheating. If those sensors go off, they can kill the power to that car, stopping the overheating and preventing fires before they happen.
"While we're continuing to do that, there's still going to be a significant number of those cars that are out of service, so that's why we are still pre-canceling some trips," SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said.
All the canceled rides have been hectic for SEPTA riders.
Michelle Crispin, a dental student, said she uses SEPTA regularly to meet patients at community sites all over the city.
"I guess I would have to figure out how to get downtown because I definitely think my patients deserve care," Crispin said.
The Regional Rail cancellations comes as SEPTA is negotiating with two unions. SEPTA's largest workers union, Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, authorized a strike, which raises the possibility of more transit disruptions across the Philadelphia region. The union represents about 5,000 SEPTA employees, including bus, subway and trolley operators, as well as mechanics.
Negotiations are set to resume Tuesday at SEPTA headquarters.
SEPTA is also negotiating with SMART Local 1594, which represents bus, trolley and train operators who work at 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby. The contract with SMART Local 1594 expires Tuesday night.
A spokesperson with SMART Local 1594 said they will hold a vote Friday on whether to authorize a strike.
According to SEPTA, Regional Rail would still run regardless of any action by the unions.
"That's my main transportation source," Anyea Kittrell, another SEPTA rider, said. "Who wants to pay for Ubers every day there and back? That will get expensive eventually."