SEPTA granted extension on inspecting Regional Rail cars

SEPTA has received a two-week extension from federal regulators to finish inspecting its aging Silverliner IV regional railcars The move comes after an anxiety-filled month of around-the-clock work to address an emergency order from the Federal Railroad Administration FRA prompted by a series of five onboard fires in The deadline for completing comprehensive safety checks on the -car fleet now moves from Oct to Nov giving the transit agency a small amount of breathing room to resolve lingering issues and reassure riders that it can maintain safe reliable system In the meantime rail car inventory will remain limited with various trains comprised of as meager as two railcars leading to crowded commutes and bypassed stops Fires federal orders and sudden scrutiny This chapter in SEPTA s operations began when the FRA reacting to the incidents and broader safety concerns issued an exigency order on Oct that mandated a rapid point-by-point inspection of the decades-old fleet Transit representatives scrambled enacting a whole new operational playbook overnight The FRA order set forth safety-related requirements without delay pushing SEPTA s maintenance and mechanical teams to re-review debrief and update everything from employee training to technical documentation Specialized inspection teams were tasked with examining railcars at a pace far beyond routine standards with all Silverliner IV units coming under scrutiny and interim repairs happening in real-time Complicating the rush each train also had to be documented for its inspection and repair status while new high-heat detectors designed to spot overheating components before they spark fires were also scheduled for fleet-wide installation Silverliner IV trains are the workhorses of SEPTA s Regional Rail system Put into amenity in the s and s these stainless steel cars have survived previous rounds of scrutiny but the fires and subsequent federal action have thrown their safety issues into the spotlight once again A fire destroyed a SEPTA Regional Rail car in Paoli on July National Transportation Safety Board What s next According to a press release from SEPTA in the current era the agency was able to meet almost all of the FRA s originally required actions by the first deadline Through an intense -day pace SEPTA completed reviews plan developments staff training mechanical debriefs and the majority of individual car inspections As of the extension of the Silverliner IVs had received enhanced checks with work ongoing around the clock to close the gap The FRA s extension gives SEPTA until Nov to wrap up its enhanced inspection plan for the remaining nearly cars SEPTA had requested more time earlier this week There s also a separate deadline of Dec for installing new thermal protection circuits on the entire Silverliner IV fleet a safety mechanism that will automatically kill power to any overheating train components helping prevent future fires SEPTA has faced ongoing operational headaches during this period including crowded trains missed trips and persistent delays General Manager Scott A Sauer acknowledged the challenges apologizing to riders and asking for continued patience while the safety work is finalized Riders shoulder the disruption For Philadelphia commuters the extension at least offers hope that the current situation will be resolved in a scarce weeks Trains have been packed and unpredictable with routes canceled on short notice These utility interruptions related to the urgent inspections may persist through at least mid-November the new timeline given the FRA s extension SEPTA leadership has promised to keep riders updated emphasizing that safety takes precedence over a short-term increase in delays Over the last month workforce efforts have been herculean as Sauer put it That all follows a battle over SEPTA funding this summer and fall which was resolved by a decision to raid the agency s capital funding for operational expenses The funding fight included fare increases schedules cuts that were rolled back and delays The broader context Aging infrastructure federal oversight SEPTA s aging fleet issue isn t unique in the U S where numerous transit agencies with rail lines face similar dilemmas of old rolling stock and limited funding for upgrades What s different here is the urgency of the response dictated by federal intervention and sudden safety threats brought into stark relief by latest incidents The rapid FRA action drew a line finish safety tasks or peril losing operating privileges SEPTA s scramble is also a reminder of the broader challenges facing population transit systems where expenditure in infrastructure and preventive maintenance is often deferred but just as often abruptly reprioritized when things literally catch fire We re pleased with the guidance and the collaboration from the FRA noted SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch and we re continuing to press ahead to get this done The post SEPTA granted extension on inspecting Regional Rail cars appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY