NTSB Urges SEPTA Suspend and Replace 225 Railcars

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended SEPTA suspend operations of its Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars and ultimately replace them after investigators linked five electrical fires this year to overheating propulsion components and an outdated car design. The NTSB said maintenance and operating practices, including keeping defective cars in passenger service, created an immediate and unacceptable safety risk that can only be fully addressed by extensive retrofits or fleet replacement. The affected Silverliner IVs number roughly 225 of SEPTA’s approximately 390 cars, many built in the mid-1970s, meaning more than half the fleet would be sidelined under the recommendation. SEPTA has added inspections and mitigation measures, placed some rail-maintenance leaders on administrative leave, and said it will follow direction from the Federal Railroad Administration rather than immediately removing the fleet. The NTSB gave SEPTA 30 days to respond and urged immediate implementation of its recommendations, citing incidents including a Feb. 6 Crum Lynne fire that destroyed a car and prompted evacuations.