On Monday, November 25, 2024, at approximately 12:05 pm, train #9517 was travelling outbound towards Thorndale when it became disabled about 1.5 miles outside of 30th Street Station. This occurred due to overhead electrical wires falling onto the train. The location of the disabled train was where SEPTA’s railroad transitions to Amtrak’s railroad, requiring both agencies to respond to the incident and coordinate repairs. Additionally, power was removed from both inbound and outbound tracks to Paoli, leading to a suspension of service on the Paoli/Thorndale and Cynwyd lines.
The energized wires on top of the train prevented the passengers on train #9517 from exiting safely until Amtrak and SEPTA Electric Traction employees could arrive to de-energize the power and ground the downed wires. After the power was shut off and grounded, a diesel engine transported the disabled train back to 30th Street Station, where passengers were transferred to buses to complete their journey to the destination.
SEPTA and Amtrak employees began repairs once the disabled equipment was removed from the scene. The Paoli/Thorndale and Cynwyd lines were suspended until approximately 7:00 PM due to the timing of the initial event. Unfortunately, this resulted in many of our Paoli/Thorndale and Cynwyd line passengers needing alternate means to get to their destinations.
Both Amtrak and SEPTA have upcoming capital projects scheduled in 2025 to replace the overhead wires between 30th Street Station and Paoli. We apologize for the inconvenience yesterday’s issues caused. We know your time is valuable and we will continue to prioritize your safety and do our best to make our service more reliable and efficient.