SEPTA Train Cars Pose “Immediate” Safety Risk, Says NTSB
The report comes on the heels of five SEPTA train fires this year, but the railcars are still being used on the Regional Rail. Plus, the hunt for Red October, and Patti LaBelle’s free concert on Independence Mall.
A SEPTA Regional Rail Silverliner IV, which the NTSB has reported as posing “immediate” risk due to electrical fires. / Photograph by Adam E. Moreira via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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SEPTA’s 1970s-era Regional Rail Cars Are, Like, Really Dangerous
In today’s “What Fresh Hell Is This?” report, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent warning yesterday that SEPTA’s 1970s-era Silverliner IV cars — currently used on Regional Rail — pose “an immediate and unacceptable safety risk,” and require immediate action.
The NTSB cited “the incidence and severity of electrical fires that can spread to occupied compartments” on the SEPTA railcars and blamed not only the cars’ outdated design but “SEPTA’s maintenance and operating practices,” which reveal “organizational lapses that block effective risk mitigation.”
To refresh your memory, this comes on the heels of not one, not two, but five SEPTA train fires this year: February 6th in Ridley Park, June 3rd in Levittown, July 22nd in Paoli, September 23rd in Fort Washington, and September 25th in Philadelphia.
Damage to a SEPTA Silverliner IV railcar involved in the Ridley Park fire in February / Photograph via NTSB
And while the NTSB says SEPTA “failed to protect passengers and crews” by keeping these cars in service, and that the risks can’t be mitigated without “an extensive fleet retrofit or replacement,” the Silverliner IV cars are still being used on SEPTA’s Regional Rail.
“We are confident that we can safely continue service with the Silverliner IV fleet,” SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer said yesterday afternoon at a press conference. Sauer said that since the February fire, they’ve implemented 40 mitigation measures and are now adding in-person inspections for all trains going through the Center City stations and live video monitoring.
However, Sauer noted that “Due to our ongoing funding constraints, we have had to continue to operate these trains long beyond the time they should have been retired.” Last month, SEPTA had to use $394 million of capital assistance funds from PennDOT to maintain daily operations amid their budget crisis.
“When anyone questioned my concerns and apprehension last month about SEPTA using capital funds for operating costs, this moment is why,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement, calling NTSB’s findings “disturbing” and “all too predictable.” Parker also urged the Pennsylvania legislature to reach a long-term, sustainable solution for funding public transit. “The ‘Robbing Peter to pay Paul’ strategy has never worked, and it never will,” she wrote.
Beat L.A.
Welcome to Red October! The L.A. Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds to wrap up the Wild Card series last night, so they’re officially the first hurdle the Phillies will have to clear in the playoffs. The NLDS starts Saturday at Citizens Bank Park versus last year’s World Series-winning Dodgers, and in case that wasn’t intimidating enough, superstar Shohei Ohtani will be making his postseason pitching debut (he was recovering last year) in Game 1. Who’s hungry for some more Schwarbombs?
Local Talent
Philly legend Patti LaBelle will headline a free concert on Independence Mall on October 12th to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The “Victory at Sea” concert will also feature the U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps, Justin Guarini (American Idol), and bluegrass band Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. Comedian Rob Riggle (The Daily Show) will emcee the event.
Leading up to the concert, there will be a daylong picnic on the Mall with more live music, plus vendors and food trucks. Doors will open at 6 p.m., but if you can’t make it, it will also be broadcast on C-SPAN.
By the Numbers
100,000: The approximate number of federal employees in Pennsylvania. Workers who are furloughed will be paid retroactively, but will not be paid during the current federal government shutdown.
12: The amount of studio albums (not counting Taylor’s Versions) that Taylor Swift will have released by tomorrow. Her newest release, The Life of a Showgirl, comes out tomorrow, October 3rd. Looking to celebrate with fellow Swifties? We’ve got a whole roundup of how to do that in Philly.
