The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) calls on the Southeasters Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Septa) to remove fire risks associated with the Silverliner IV rails of the agency.
According to the NTSB, due to the outdated design of the iron cars in combination with the maintenance and operating practices of Septa, the railway cars represent a security risk for drivers who could not protect the passengers and crews, since defective railway cars were kept in passenger service. In the NSTB annual notice, the risks existing by the draft cannot be fully treated without extensive retrofitting or an extensive replacement for fleet.
The NTSB recommends Septa:
- Suspend surgery of the Silverliner IV fleet until the agency determines the basic causes of fires, developed and implemented a plan to tackle these causes, and to identify and correct the organizational factors that have prevented effective risk relationships.
- Implement a plan to monitor the success of its risk reduction for the Silverlin IV fleet, including provisions to remove the fleet immediately if its reductions do not prevent fires.
- Create an accelerated procurement or retrofitting plan and apply for the funds from suitable sources as soon as possible in order to speed up the exchange of Silverliner IV fleet or its retrofitting in modern feedback systems and to meet the federal fire protection standards for new railway cars.
The recommendations will follow the examination of a fire on February 6 in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania on February 6 and in the past three months, including one in Philadelphia, on September 25th. The NTSB indicates that the repetition of fires is blocking the repetitions of fires organizational faculties, the effective risk reduction and the requirements of the agency and the agency and the granting of the agency and the agency and the granting of the agency and the granting of the agency and the agency and the granting of the agency and the guarantee of the agency And the guarantee of the agency.
The full report is available on the NTSB website.
Septa's reaction to the NTSB
In response to the NTSB report, Septa added the following safety measures in its rail system:
- Personal inspectors on all trains that drive through the Center City stations.
- Add MID-RUN inspections of error ads in addition to other existing exams and inspections.
- Live video control surveillance, with which the Control Center supervisors from Septa can check for all trains to check the charges.
“The security of our customers has our top priority”
Septa says that, based on financing restrictions, it had to last long beyond their recommended useful life. The agency says that it is developing a financing plan to support its replacement despite ongoing financing challenges.
According to the agency, the operations employee will continue to remove rail cars that indicators show indicators that have been identified as possible causes of previous fire incidents. The next month will remove Septa Silverliner IV iron cars for inspections.
“We are confident that these trains are safe, and we are also confident that our reduction efforts enable us to receive a safe service for our customers,” added Sauer.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issues emergency regulation
Together with the recommendations of the NTSB, the FRA granted an emergency regulation in which Septa must take measures within seven days in order to reduce the risk of additional fires. These measures include:
- Develop a plan to determine the direct and contributing causes of every fire or every thermal incident that occurred in 2025 and identify the basic causes, circumstances, personnel, financing or other conditions that caused the fires and thermal incidents during this period. The emergency regulation states that Septa implemented the plan and provides FRA a written report on its results, at the latest on October 30, 2025.
- Prepare yourself for the approval of a mechanical inspection plan for the electrical multiple (electric multiple unit) for Silverliner IV to the FRA. The Order Requires Each Silverliner IV Emu in Septa's Fleet Be Removed from Service to Complete A Comphense Including, But not Limited to, High-Voltage Control Systems, Propulsion System and Dynamic Brake System, HVAC System, Components and Elements of Safety and Warning Systems, High and High and Low-voltage Cables, Harnesses and Connectors and the Condition of Terminals and Lugs, as well as any associated peripheral system.
- Check the plan for inspection, test and maintenance (ITM) and submit the plan to the FRA with proposed changes to ensure that mechanical errors of the type that leads to fires or thermal incidents are recognized and repaired.
- Update the Septa Supplemental Division north number 7-20 ° C and any other relevant operating rule to implement the requirements of this order.
- By issuing a written notification to trainers, it requires that each engineer reports a sluggish or poor performance of brakes or acceleration or anomal vehicle behavior to the dispatcher within five minutes after the event.
- Complete a stand-down and debriefing with every mechanical employee who is involved in the inspection, error correction, maintenance or repair of Silverliner IV and the review of all fire and heat incidents, the well-known direct and indirect causes as well as the obtaining of feedback from the employees to identify improvements in his maintenance programs and practices can.
- Perform random quality audits to the performance of the completion of repair and maintenance work by the mechanical department. Audits have to take place every day and cover more than one layer every day.
The emergency regulations also give Septa 30 days to take the following additional measures:
- Complete all actions as part of the mechanical inspection plan for mechanical emergencies approved by FRA, including the inspection of the entire Silverliner IV -Mus for precursor conditions that increase the probability of a fire or a thermal incident.
- Install thermal insulation circuits at all critical points at every Silverliner IV -Mu to close the drive and auxiliary circuits if higher than the normal operating temperatures are determined.
- Document all inspections and repairs on the Silverliner IV -Mu fleet and present a graphic representation of considerable defects that have been identified to the employees who carry out the work in order to clearly show the employees and follow -up indicators.
- Check all technical documents such as repair procedures, partial lists, materials, maintenance and change instructions, tool and inventory requirements and revise them as required to ensure that everyone is up to date.
- Make sure that the mechanical department checks and updates the requirements for the training and the skill tests of the employees in order to remedy all deficiency determined in the implementation of this order.
- Complete or completed cause, a comprehensive update of all causes analyzes that began in response to fire or thermal incidents and develop a correction plan to prevent the recurrence and implement the performance of mechanical systems.
- Meet all requirements of the revised ITM plan, which was presented and approved by the FRA.
“In my leadership, FRA took fast and immediate measures to ensure the security of all passengers and transit workers on Septa,” said Sean Duffy, Secretary of the US Transport Ministry. “This includes using our team of experts in Septa trains, repair workers and the shipping center to ensure that thorough safety precautions are implemented. Recent fires and ongoing mechanical problems are unacceptable for such a critical railway line. Under President [Donald] Trump, we will always put the security of the American people in the first place. Septa must take measures to correct these persistent dangers. ”