SEPTA issues new timeline for Silverliner V cars

SEPTA has revised its timeline for bringing the new Silverliner V railcars into service, project manager David Casper told the Citizen Advisory Committee’s regional rail subcommittee on Tuesday.

The 120 cars will replace 73 older Silverliner II and Silverliner III railcars that were built in the 1960s.

Three car shells, which will be used for testing, are en route from South Korea now and will arrive at the assembly plant in South Philadelphia Oct. 17.

The tests on the railcars should be completed by December, and production vehicles should begin arriving by next June, with about 10 arriving per month, Casper said.

The manufacturer, United Transit Systems, a consortium of Hyundai Rotem and Sojitz Corp., has completed 35 shells so far and is currently working on 10 more.

Casper also addressed concerns about manufacturing quality noticed when SEPTA displayed a mock-up Silverliner V at Suburban Station last year.

He said that there have been “few problems” with the manufacturing, and that issues with welding quality in the mock-up were a result of rushing to get the model ready for display.

The mock-up was originally only meant to show the interior of the car, with the exterior being made out of wood. Casper said SEPTA decided to make it out of metal to give workers an opportunity to practice their welding techniques.

He said that he still expects some minor delays because UTS has taken more railcar orders than it can handle.

Looking ahead, Casper also said that specifications for the Silverliner VI, the next railcar on the drawing board, is being updated as the Silverliner V project progresses, though construction of the new model is being delayed until the state resolves funding issues for Act 44, which provides SEPTA with dedicated state funding.

Here’s a good website about the specs of the Silverliner V — http://www.svmetro.com/projects/detail.php?id=5

Posted by Anthony Campisi. Contact him at campisi.anthony@gmail.com