Today Governor Shapiro authorized nearly $220 million to be made available to SEPTA so that we can make necessary safety repairs to over 200 Silverliner IV rail cars, upgrade trolley infrastructure, keep riders safe, and continue to deliver reliable, on-time service.
SEPTA is appreciative of Governor Shapiro’s continued support for SEPTA and public transportation as a whole.
These funds are going to make a significant difference in our efforts to overcome the current Regional Rail crisis and trolley tunnel shutdown and prevent problems moving forward.
SEPTA is committed to minimizing these types of disruptions in the future through a comprehensive effort to identify potential problems sooner–before they grow and lead to delays, cancellations, or shutdowns.
We are looking at every mile of infrastructure and each rail car, bus, and all other equipment to make sure that we are putting out safe and reliable service every day.
We are changing inspection and maintenance procedures to ensure we are looking not just for issues today but what could be coming in the weeks or months ahead.
We are going to address areas of need in a more proactive manner which will maximize our ability to provide reliable service.
This money will be earmarked for projects that can begin quickly and enhance safety and reliability on the system.
This includes leasing 10 cars from MARC in Maryland to add capacity to Regional Rail. And we are talking to agencies across North America about the possibility of similar arrangements. We will also use these funds to replace parts on our current fleet from critical power components and propulsion and braking systems to remote diagnostic capabilities. This will allow crews to see the condition of equipment in “real time” and stop faults before they occur.
We are investing in three catenary maintenance cars for the trolley tunnel, D Trolleys, and Regional Rail to support preventative maintenance and inspections.
For the subway we will replace the third rail and overhaul traction motors to improve fleet performance and reliability on the B.
Systemwide we are installing “AI” cameras to perform remote inspections of critical components which will provide an advance warning of any issues on our rail fleets.
We are also making safety enhancements to our Control Center to keep our Operations running smoothly.
We look forward to delivering results with these much-needed resources.
Below is a snapshot of how the new funds will be invested:
Upgrades to the Regional Rail Fleet — $95 million
- Enhancements to Silverliner IV safety and electrical systems
- Upgrades to Silverliner V propulsion, electrical systems, and reliability
Railcar Leasing & Procurement — $17 million
- Lease 10 railcars from MARC (Washington–Baltimore region)
- Pursue purchase of 20 railcars from Montréal’s Exo system
Metro Fleet Upgrades — $8 million
- Overhauls of metro fleet traction motors
- Door operator upgrades to ensure safe, reliable service
Utility Fleet & Power Infrastructure Upgrades — $48.4 million
- Replacement of aging overhead catenary wires across SEPTA’s trolley and rail networks
- Purchase of new equipment to allow for more efficient inspections and maintenance of trolley infrastructure
Other Safety-Critical Infrastructure Investments — $51.5 million
- Upgrade of 13 escalators at SEPTA stations
- Purchase advanced inspection technology
- Implement safety improvements at SEPTA’s Control Center to ensure continuity of operations
Read the full press release here.
You can watch a recording of today’s press conference on SEPTA’s YouTube channel.