U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to share updates on SEPTA’s ongoing financial issues and safety concerns. Duffy will hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, starting at 11 a.m. You can watch the presser in the video embedded on top of this article.
Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman will also attend.
Duffy had visited Philadelphia last month to discuss the government shutdown as well as SEPTA’s ongoing issues. In a letter sent on Thursday, Oct. 23, Duffy addressed what he called “serious concerns” about rider safety and the transit agency’s financial issues.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro responded to Duffy’s letter, saying he wanted $167 million in funding for SEPTA, which continues to deal with a financial crisis after Pennsylvania lawmakers failed to secure funding for them.
“Instead of issuing a press release, Secretary Duffy should call his fellow Republicans and get them to fund the Governor’s mass transit funding package for SEPTA. We would be happy to provide their phone numbers,” a spokesperson for Shapiro wrote in a statement.
On Oct. 31, SEPTA was granted a two-week extension to finish inspecting all 225 of its Silverliner IV train cars. SEPTA had been working for weeks to inspect the trains after an NTSB investigation called for the mass transit provider to suspend the operation of the entire Silverliner IV fleet until they determine the exact causes of recent train fires.
As of Friday, SEPTA had complected inspections on 114 of the rail cars. They have until Nov. 14, to finish all of the inspections.
The inspections have led to overcrowded trains, cancellations and delays for SEPTA riders across the region.