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11/18/2025
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) completed mandated point-by-point inspections of its Silverliner IV fleet ahead of the Nov. 14 deadline set by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Citing five instances of fire or other thermal-related emergencies on the rail cars this year, the FRA ordered SEPTA on Oct. 1 to take 14 safety-related steps to prevent the risk of fire and thermal emergencies. The list included suspending the entire 223-car Silverliner IV fleet until each car underwent inspection. The National Transportation Safety Board also recommended SEPTA suspend the fleet.
SEPTA met almost all the required actions by the FRA's original Oct. 31 deadline and was granted an extension to Nov. 14 to finish enhanced inspections and install new high-heat detectors, SEPTA officials said in a press release.
With all inspections completed and the detectors installed, SEPTA now has until Dec. 5 to install thermal protection circuits on the fleet. The circuits are an additional safety mechanism that can interrupt the flow of electricity to overheating devices, SEPTA officials said.
To mitigate the impact of the fleet being out of service for repairs and inspections, SEPTA signed an agreement with Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail to lease 10 rail coach cars. SEPTA Regional Rail service reliability will improve gradually through the end of the year as more Silverliner IV cars are returned to service, SEPTA officials said.