SEPTA’s app and website provide riders with detailed information on how many cars each Regional Rail train is running with – here are some pointers for finding this information.
Across SEPTA’s 13-line Regional Rail system, the number of total vehicles we have available for service at each rush hour determines the number of 2-car, 3-car and 4-car trains we are able to run. This number can fluctuate day to day and even in the morning to evening rush, depending on weather-related vehicle issues and other challenges associated with our aging fleet. Each day, our rail mechanics work hard to return any cars that have been pulled out of service for repairs back to the rails fast as possible, while ensuring the safety of our riders and staff.
We understand that the number of cars on any given Regional Rail train greatly affects the rider experience – short trains can cause crowding and station pass-ups, so it is helpful for riders to know the size of a train before they head to the station.
With all this in mind, we wanted to make sure riders know: It is possible to see how many cars a given train is running with in real time using SEPTA.org or the SEPTA app.
Please note that this information is only available for trains that are reporting real-time ETA information – for scheduled trains farther in the future, the info is not available, as it is still subject to change for operational reasons.
Find Regional Rail Car Counts on SEPTA.org
Navigate to the schedule page for your Regional Rail Line. After selecting your direction and departure station, you’ll see a list of upcoming departures below. Choose a departure that has real-time information (look for the green real-time symbol), and click the gray “expand” icon to the right to look at the details of that trip.
Within the “trip detail” view, in the top right, you’ll see a list of the cars that train will be using – in this case, #316, #317, #431 and #432– four in total.
Find Regional Rail Car Counts on the SEPTA App
Navigate to the schedule page for your Regional Rail Line. After selecting your direction and departure station, you’ll see a list of upcoming departures below. Choose a departure that has real-time information (look for the green real-time symbol), and click the arrow icon on the right to look at the details of that trip.
Within the “trip detail” view, at the top of the screen, you’ll see a list of the cars that train will be using – in this case, #850, #849 and #723 – three in total.
How SEPTA Decides which Trains run with Two Cars
We plan the sizes of our trains based on ridership, attempting to minimize the use of two-car trains during rush hour and on our highest-ridership lines as much as we can. Sometimes, due to the overall number of cars available or the operational realities of where and when cars get unexpectedly pulled out of service for repairs, this is not possible.