On Tuesday, November 5, SEPTA experienced a significant switch and mechanical failure which affected passengers riding train #4846 on the Fox Chase Line. Just after leaving Temple University, at approximately 4:50 pm, there was a switch failure at one of the interlockings between Temple and Wayne Junction stations. This forced the train to reverse to Temple University and change tracks to get around the switch failure. After successfully reversing to the appropriate track, the train then experienced an air compressor leak, leaving it disabled halfway between Temple and Wayne Junction stations. Despite repeated troubleshooting efforts, the crew was unable to restart the disabled train.
Behind the scenes we were preparing a new train and assembling adequate staff to safely transition riders from the disabled train to a new train. By the time all passengers were safely onto the new train, more than an hour had passed. We recognize the value of our riders’ time, and we do our best to provide safe, efficient, and reliable service. We regret that in this instance, we were not able to do so and inconvenienced our riders of the Fox Chase Line.
We thank our riders for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by mechanical issues Tuesday night. We are reviewing response protocols to see what we can do differently in the future to provide better service.