Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday announced he’s flexing nearly $220 million in capital funds to SEPTA for safety and infrastructure improvements across the system.
The breakdown includes:
$95 million to fix SEPTA’s Silverliner IV railcars$17 million for extra railcars purchased from the Maryland Area Rail Commuter and Canada$48.4 million to replace trolley wires and tunnel systems$51.5 million to upgrade escalators and SEPTA’s control center$8 million for new parts on the Broad Street and Norristown High-Speed lines
The Shapiro administration says the money will help SEPTA fully comply with federal safety orders, make safety repairs and keep existing fleets running while new railcars and trolleys are built.
SEPTA service has been plagued by delays and cancellations for weeks due to federally mandated safety upgrades on its Silverliner IV railcars. The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered extensive safety checks last month after five fires happened on the model since February.
More than 200 Regional Railcars were taken out of service for inspections. According to the governor’s office, 98 cars are back in service, and another 180 are expected to be operational by mid-to-late December.
Shapiro described the funding boost as an emergency infusion, but not a long-term fix. State lawmakers were unable to agree on long-term funding for transit, and SEPTA had to move capital dollars to fund its operations.
“Mass transit is absolutely critical to our commonwealth’s economy, our communities and the everyday lives of Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said. “My administration is stepping up once again to provide SEPTA with the funding it needs to complete critical repairs, meet federal safety requirements, and restore full service — but we need a long-term solution. I will keep fighting for additional recurring funding for mass transit in Harrisburg so that we can invest in mass transit systems, including SEPTA, all across the commonwealth.”
Shapiro is still pushing Republicans in Harrisburg for recurring mass transit funding for the nearly 800,000 Pennsylvanians who ride SEPTA each day.
Officials say the nearly $220 million will help keep SEPTA’s system safe and reliable for the next decade.
“This funding is really to alleviate the pressure of all the safety work we’re doing on the Silverliners and the trolleys,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said.
SEPTA is also working on plans to replace the more than 50-year-old Silverliner IV fleet completely, but that takes time and around $2 billion. In the short term, those cars from Maryland should hit the tracks in a few weeks.
SEPTA leaders say they hope to be done with repairs and have the full fleet back on the tracks in mid-to-late December.
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