Still struggling to overcome Silverliner issues, SEPTA will miss latest deadline

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

SEPTA has run into another obstacle that will prevent the transit agency from meeting the latest federally mandated deadline to repair its aging fleet of Silverliner railcars.

The agency is under a federal extension that mandates it to add thermal sensors to the cars by the end of this week. Andrew Busch, spokesperson for SEPTA, said Wednesday that the agency will not meet that deadline.

The reason? A shortage in a crucial component of the repair work.

SEPTA has bought every piece of wire available in North America to complete the railcars’ thermal detection systems, Busch said, and the agency still doesn’t have enough material to finish the massive project.

“So we’re waiting on some more to come in. It’s rare that an agency like SEPTA, or any transit agency, would be purchasing so much of that product,” Busch said.

The lack of supplies will push completion of the work back about two weeks.

“We expect it’s going to be between 20 and 30 cars that can’t be finished,” Busch said.

The trains will have to stay sidelined until the wire can be sourced, according to Busch. Federal officials are giving the agency a grace period due to the lack of supplies.

The mandate is that the cars that haven’t had the sensors installed will be kept off the rails until the issue has been addressed.

The agency will accept delivery this weekend of 10 railcars from Baltimore that will help fill in for the sidelined vehicles. AMTRAK will transport the cars to Philadelphia, where training will be held for those who will maintain and operate them.

Busch says the loaned cars should be in service in about two weeks. Compared to the rest of the Regional Rail fleet, they will need to be pulled by SEPTA electric locomotives, since they are unable to run under their own power.

The cars are being leased for a minimum of a year while SEPTA works towards a more permanent replacement of their decades-old railcars.