HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and leaders of Philadelphia\u2019s mass transit agency said Monday that the system is fully complying with federal orders to take measures to help prevent fires in an aging electric railcar model that is heavily used in its regional rail fleet.<\/p>\n
The October order from the Federal Railroad Administration came after federal transportation authorities investigated five fires<\/a> this year involving the Silverliner IV passenger railcars used by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA.<\/p>\n Shapiro, a Democrat, said he is sending an extra $220 million in state aid to SEPTA to help it comply with the orders. SEPTA said that, starting Monday, some of the 225 Silverliner IV cars will return to service for the first time since October. <\/p>\n All five fires forced everyone aboard to evacuate \u2014 in one case, as many as 350 passengers \u2014 with a few minor injuries reported. One railcar was involved in two of the fires, and two other railcars were destroyed, the National Transportation Safety Board<\/a> has said.<\/p>\n SEPTA is one of the nation\u2019s largest mass transit agencies, carrying 800,000 daily riders on buses, trolleys and rail. It blames inadequate public funding for a backlog of upgrades of more than $10 billion.<\/p>\n The recommendation comes at a time when SEPTA<\/a> and major transit agencies around the U.S. are fighting for more public funding<\/a> as they struggle with rising costs and lagging ridership. <\/p>\n In its report, the NTSB was critical of SEPTA\u2019s maintenance and operating practices. <\/p>\n That, combined with the outdated design of the Silverliner IV railcars, \u201crepresents an immediate and unacceptable safety risk because of the incidence and severity of electrical fires that can spread to occupied compartments,\u201d the NTSB said.<\/p>\n The Silverliner IV rail cars represent about two-thirds of SEPTA\u2019s regional rail fleet and date back to the mid-1970s. They are SEPTA\u2019s oldest rail cars, the agency said.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n