Federal authorities have taken a serious stance regarding SEPTA’s Silverliner IV railcars, indicating that these trains pose an urgent safety risk, particularly in relation to potential electrical fires.
The National Transportation Safety Board has identified these railcars as part of a fleet that requires immediate attention, as more than half of SEPTA’s 390 passenger-carrying railcars are Silverliner IV units, amounting to 225 trains.
Scott Sauer, SEPTA’s General Manager, emphasized the challenges faced by the agency at a press conference discussing the NTSB’s findings.
‘Due to our ongoing funding constraints, we have had to continue to operate these trains long beyond the time they should have been retired,’ Sauer stated.
Notably, the Silverliner IV fleet has remained unchanged since their initial deployment from 1974 to 1976, raising concerns about their outdated designs.
The NTSB has linked these particular railcars to a series of incidents involving fires on various dates throughout the year, including incidents in Ridley Park, Levittown, Paoli, Fort Washington, and Philadelphia.
Investigators highlighted that the outdated design, combined with SEPTA’s maintenance and operating practices, has created an environment for electrical fires, which are particularly dangerous as they may spread to compartments occupied by passengers.
The persistence of these fire incidents indicates organizational lapses within SEPTA that hinder the effectiveness of their risk mitigation strategies.
According to the NTSB, the inherent design risks associated with the Silverliner IV can only be adequately addressed through a comprehensive fleet retrofit or outright replacement.
In light of these findings, the NTSB has issued several crucial recommendations for SEPTA to follow regarding the safety of the Silverliner IV railcars.
Firstly, the NTSB has urged SEPTA to suspend operations of the Silverliner IV fleet until an extensive investigation determines the root causes of the fire incidents.
An actionable plan must also be developed and implemented to address these fire risks effectively.
Furthermore, SEPTA is required to create a monitoring system to evaluate the success of any risk mitigation strategies put into place to protect both passengers and crews.
The NTSB specifically called for an expedited procurement or retrofit schedule aimed at replacing or upgrading the Silverliner IV fleet to meet contemporary safety standards.
In response to the Ridley Park fire incident, SEPTA began implementing 40 mitigation measures in collaboration with the NTSB and the Federal Railroad Administration.
Scott Sauer expressed his confidence that these newly introduced measures, along with enhanced train inspections and live video monitoring, will allow for the continued safe operation of the Silverliner IV trains.
Sauer noted that the Silverliner IVs have been operated less frequently compared to the rest of the fleet, underscoring an additional commitment to ensuring safety.
Mayor Cherrelle Parker termed the NTSB findings as ‘very disturbing,’ adding that the results were ‘all too predictable.’
‘When anyone questioned my concerns and apprehension last month about SEPTA using capital funds for operating costs, this moment is why,’ the mayor articulated in a statement.
She urged the need for Philadelphia and the Southeast Pennsylvania region to bolster capital investments in SEPTA to secure the safety and reliability of the transit system, which approximately 700,000 people utilize daily.
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