Federal safety board tells Philadelphia’s mass transit agency to shelve railcars implicated in fires

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Federal transport security officials said this week at the Philadelphia’s public transport agency that it was to put aside an aging electric wagon model which is used in its regional rail fleet until it determines how to prevent them from causing fire.

The recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board intervened after investigating five fires this year involving the Silverliner IV Passenger Recars used by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or Septa.

In addition to suspending the functioning of the Silverliner IV fleet until it can correct the cause, the agency has declared that Septa should accelerate the replacement of the Silverliner IV fleet or to modernize cars to meet modern fire safety standards and add systems to give the train crew detailed on the moment when dynamic brakes or other electrical systems do not work normally.

The five fires forced everyone on board to evacuate – in a case, up to 350 passengers – with some minor injuries reported. One wagon was involved in two of the fires and two other wagons were destroyed, the NTSB said.

Septa is one of the country’s largest public transport agencies, transporting 800,000 daily runners on buses, carts and rails.

The recommendation comes at a time when Septa and the major public transport agencies in the United States are fighting for more public funding as they are fighting against costs and frequentation of traffic.

In its report, the NTSB criticized the maintenance and exploitation practices of Septa.

This, combined with the obsolete design of Silverliner IV wagons, “represents an immediate and unacceptable risk of security due to the incidence and severity of electric fires that can spread to occupied compartments,” said the NTSB.

The NTSB has drawn fires to different components, including the electrical components associated with the train propulsion system, dynamic brakes and a traction engine.

Septa did not immediately answer questions to find out if it would be or could comply with the recommendations.

In its budgetary report published earlier this year, Septa said that balloon equipment, manufacturing and construction costs made it more expensive to replace the Silverliner IV fleet.

However, he said that replacements are “long -term investments for a long time” and “can no longer be delayed”.

It has set the price for almost $ 1 billion to replace its 230 Silverliner IV cars built by General Electric in the 1970s.

However, Septa also planned that the design, supply and construction calendar for replacement would extend until 2036.

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