SEPTA Silverliner V Repair Status Update
September 12, 2016
SEPTA has temporarily sidelined 18 Silverliner V rail cars that had been repaired by manufacturer Hyundai Rotem and were recently returned to service, or had been readied for service. A minor design modification will be made to the foot that supports the new equalizer beam at both ends.
A joint inspection of a Silverliner V rail car that had recently been returned to service was conducted early Saturday morning by Hyundai Rotem and SEPTA, as part of the ongoing effort to evaluate the performance of the new system. A clearance issue was detected that resulted in minimal, occasional contact between old and new components. Hyundai Rotem quickly made a design change, and cars with this modification will be available for service later this week.
Hyundai Rotem is still expected to return enough rail cars to allow for normal weekday Regional Rail schedules by SEPTA’s preferred date of 10/3 or 10/10 at the latest. The use of leased locomotives and rail cars makes it possible for SEPTA to resume regular weekday schedules by this date before repairs are completed on all Silverliner V rail cars. The overall time-frame for completing repairs and returning all Silverliner Vs to service remains early-to-mid November.
The decision on Saturday to pull the cars from service was made jointly by SEPTA and Hyundai Rotem. It reflected concerns over causing damage that would require increased inspection and maintenance efforts.
“SEPTA is committed to making sure the repair process is done correctly to ensure a long-lasting life,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel. “This is why we are conducting thorough tests and inspections, such as the one on Saturday that revealed this problem.”
“All parties involved are working around the clock to restore the Silverliner V fleet to service in a timely fashion,” Knueppel added. “We sincerely regret the continued inconvenience to our customers.”
For the latest service updates related to the Silverliner V repairs, please visit the Interim Weekday Service Information page.
