Some SEPTA Regional Rail trains canceled again Tuesday as inspections continue from federal order
Some trains on SEPTA's Airport, Fox Chase and Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail lines will be canceled again Tuesday as the Philadelphia-based transit agency continues inspections stemming from a federal order.
SEPTA is currently inspecting its Silverliner IV railcars after the Federal Railroad Administration ordered the transit agency to inspect the 223-railcar fleet following five fires on the model since February, which has led to a railcar shortage.
The 9411, 412, 425, 802, 809 and 814 trains in the peak morning on the Airport, Fox Chase, and Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail lines Monday were canceled, according to SEPTA. Later in the day, the 9426, 9435, 436, 449, 9450, 9459, 460, 473, 821, 826, 833, 838, 845, 850, 857 and 862 on the aforementioned lines were canceled.
SEPTA said the canceled trips led to fewer cars on each Regional Rail line, which caused crowded conditions and skipped stations, especially closer to Center City.
For riders on the Fox Chase Line, the last-minute cancellations Monday forced some to ditch Regional Rail and take the subway and bus instead. Commuters on the Media/Wawa Line said that they also dealt with similar issues, with trains canceled and delayed.
The FRA initially gave SEPTA until Oct. 31 to complete an inspection of these railcars, but that deadline was extended until Friday. SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said at the end of October that the transit authority expects to finish the inspections by the Nov. 14 deadline.
SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said Tuesday the transit authority has inspected 204 railcars and returned 73 to service. Busch added that SEPTA has only had two additional cancellations, but riders should expect delays.
SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer previously said that customers should expect service disruptions on Regional Rail through the end of the calendar year, but service will improve as more railcars are sent back into service.
The order from the FRA comes amid the ongoing SEPTA funding crisis. The transit agency was recently forced to delay several purchases and projects because of its budget.
SEPTA is asking all riders to check its app for the most up-to-date information.
Frustrations pile up for riders
SEPTA officials said they're doing their best to minimize impact on the morning and evening rush hours, but riders said the changes have thrown a curveball into their daily schedules.
"If they had wanted to do this the right way, they should've shut the whole Regional Rail system down and just taken all the cars out of service," Clare Peterson, a SEPTA rider, said.
Some riders, including Huu Ngo, said they didn't know their trains were canceled on Monday until they got to the platform.
"The folks that work for SEPTA down here, they said that they're kind of learning it as we're learning it," Ngo said.
Rider Kenny Jones said he started the day the same way he ended it — waiting for a train. The morning delays made him late for work, he said. But Jones said he knows first-hand why the inspections matter because he was on one of the trains that caught fire earlier this year.
"It was definitely heavy smoke. Smoke was coming into the train, so they had to evacuate us and get us off, and they had fire extinguishers, trying to put out the fire," Jones said.
Jones supports the precautions, he said, but thinks they should have come sooner, considering what riders pay to use the system.
"If you have trains like that are detrimental to your riders, we're paying money for this every day," he said. "Well over $200 a month."