SEPTA Adds 10 More Cars to Roster, Reshuffles Service Starting Monday

Photo: Jeff Fusco

SEPTA announced this afternoon (July 15th) that it has secured 10 more rail cars from Maryland, and as a result, the interim weekday schedule in effect for the duration of the Silverliner V car shortage will be adjusted again effective Monday, July 18th.

Five cars from the Maryland Area Rail Commuter Service (MARC) will be on the property in time for Monday’s schedule, and five more are expected by the middle of the week. When the second set of five cars arrives, it will bring to 28 the total number of leased cars supplementing the still-in-service Silverliner IV electric-multiple-unit railcars.

The additional cars along with adjustments to the way the cars currently in service are deployed should alleviate crowding on the busiest Regional Rail lines.

The new schedules that take effect Monday will have additional trains on the Glenside combined main line as well as the Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown, Paoli/Thorndale and Warminster branches.

SEPTA General Manager Jeff Knueppel said in a news release that riders can expect more changes as the agency gains more experience with changing commuting patterns and obtains additional spare cars. “This is an evolving process, and we will continue to make changes to optimize service for our customers, We are extremely grateful for the use of this additional rail equipment. MARC, Amtrak and NJ Transit have been great partners in what is a very challenging time for our customers.”

SEPTA will post revised schedules by Saturday, July 16, on its Regional Rail Interim Weekday Service website. It also advises riders to keep checking the site for future schedule updates on a weekly basis. The site also contains information about alternate modes of transit, including beefed-up service on the system’s three rapid transit and two suburban light rail lines.

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