SEPTA sidelines 18 recently repaired Silverliner V cars

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has temporarily sidelined 18 recently repaired Silverliner V rail cars, the agency announced yesterday.

Manufacturer Hyundai Rotem had repaired the units to address a flaw in their suspension systems. The 18 cars were either in service or ready to return to service, SEPTA officials said in a press release.

During a joint inspection of a Silverliner V car on Saturday, a clearance issue was detected that resulted in "minimal, occasional contact between old and new components," agency officials said in a press release. While the cars are sidelined, the manufacturer will make a minor design modification to the foot that supports the new equalizer beam at both ends.

Cars that receive that modification will be available for service later this week.

In July, SEPTA pulled all 120 Silverliner V cars from service after agency workers discovered fatigue cracks in the equalizer beams on 115 of the units. The beams are part of the rail-car suspension system and distribute the vehicle's weight to the axles.

The agency began returning the cars to service Aug. 31.