SEPTA Announces Addition Of New Rail Cars
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Some good news for commuters, SEPTA has announced the addition of new rail cars, set to arrive this weekend.
An additional five cars, which are reportedly being leased from the Maryland Area Commuter Service (MARC), will be put into service on SEPTA's Regional Rail system Monday, July 18th.
The new cars will help SEPTA address crowding and maximize the use of leased trains already in service.
The additional cars add to the 18 leased passenger cars that were put into use this week, including five from Amtrak, eight from NJ Transit and the first five from MARC.
SEPTA says when the last of the MARC vehicles arrive mid-next week, the transportation company will have 28 leased passenger rail cars in service.
"We are extremely grateful for the use of this additional rail equipment. MARC, Amtrak and NJ Transit have been great partners in what is a very challenging time for our customers," said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel.
The Regional Rail Interim Weekday Schedule changes, effective Monday, will include enhancements on some of SEPTA's most heavily traveled lines.
The new cars are in response to SEPTA pulling one-third of its Regional Rail fleet off the tracks in early July.
The company says cracks were discovered in beams in the suspension system on its fleet of Hyundai Rotem-made Silverliner V rail coaches. The transit agency says they have hired consultants to pinpoint the source of the problem.
In a press conference, Knueppel says service issues are expected to continue through at least until the end of August.
New schedules will be posted on SEPTA's website on Saturday, July 16.
