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

SEPTA keeps aging fleet running amid fire warnings – Metro Philadelphia

SEPTA’s 50-year-old Regional Rail cars remain on the tracks, even after federal safety officials recommended the authority remove the vehicles from its Regional Rail system following a series of recent fires. The Silverliner IV fleet, composed of about 225 individual train cars, pose “an immediate and unacceptable safety risk,” the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report issued Wednesday. Two of the five fires cited in the document…

After 5 Regional Rail fires, federal agency orders new round of SEPTA crew trainings

The Federal Rail Administration has ordered SEPTA to immediately conduct another round of employee safety training in response to a report that the agency had five Regional Rail car fires this year, including two in late September. SEPTA must ensure each train crew reports any fault indicator lights or equipment failures to the agency’s mechanical department, which must then determine if cars should be immediately removed from service, the FRA s…

SEPTA railway fire hazards trigger federal safety mandate

HARRISBURG — Federal transportation safety officials told Philadelphia's mass transit agency this week that it should shelve an aging electric railcar model that is heavily used in its regional rail fleet until it figures out how to stop them from catching fire. The recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board came after it investigated five fires this year involving the Silverliner IV passenger railcars used by the Southeastern …

NTSB Issues Urgent Warning Over Safety Of Half Of SEPTA Fleet

The National Transportation Safety Board said these specific SEPTA railcars pose a safety risk, namely for electrical fires.

NTSB: Emergency action needed on SEPTA railcars

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent warning to SEPTA on Wednesday recommending the transit agency removes 225 railcars from fleet because of a fire risk. The report cited five fires between February and September of 2025. The NTSB began the investigation into SEPTA's railcars in February after a fire began in Ridley Park shortly after departing the Crum Lynne station. About 300 passengers and crew mem…

After fires, SEPTA to keep Silverliner IV fleet, despite warning from national safety bureau

SEPTA said Wednesday it is confident that it can continue service with the Silverliner IV fleet, despite the National Transportation Safety Bureau calling for their removal.