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Shapiro Pledges $220M as SEPTA Implements Federal Fire-Safety Orders for Aging Silverliner IV Fleet

01:31 AM, 11/25/2025
Shapiro Pledges $220M as SEPTA Implements Federal Fire-Safety Orders for Aging Silverliner IV Fleet

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has pledged $220 million to help SEPTA comply with an October FRA order after five fires this year involving aging Silverliner IV railcars. Some of the 225 Silverliner IV cars are being returned to service as upgrades proceed. The NTSB criticized SEPTA’s maintenance and warned the cars’ outdated design poses an "immediate and unacceptable safety risk." SEPTA cites more than $10 billion in deferred upgrades due to funding shortfalls.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and leaders of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) say the transit agency is complying with an October Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) order aimed at preventing electrical fires in the aging Silverliner IV commuter railcars.

The FRA action followed investigators’ reviews of five separate fires this year involving Silverliner IV cars, incidents that forced full evacuations each time — including one evacuation of as many as 350 passengers — and produced only a small number of minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that one car was linked to two fires and that two cars were destroyed.

State support and service updates: Gov. Shapiro announced an additional $220 million in state assistance to help SEPTA implement the federally required safety upgrades. SEPTA said that, beginning Monday, some of the system’s 225 Silverliner IV cars will return to service for the first time since October as work proceeds.

Safety concerns and findings: In its report, the NTSB criticized SEPTA’s maintenance and operating procedures and said that, combined with the Silverliner IV’s dated design, the situation "represents an immediate and unacceptable safety risk because of the incidence and severity of electrical fires that can spread to occupied compartments." The Silverliner IVs, introduced in the mid-1970s, account for roughly two-thirds of SEPTA’s regional rail fleet and are the system’s oldest cars.

Funding and operational context: SEPTA carries about 800,000 riders daily across buses, trolleys and rail. The authority says inadequate public funding has created a backlog of needed upgrades that exceeds $10 billion, a shortfall it and other major U.S. transit agencies say complicates efforts to modernize equipment and restore ridership.

What happens next: SEPTA is working to meet the FRA’s mitigation requirements while keeping as much service running as can be done safely. Federal and local officials say the combination of targeted upgrades, stronger maintenance practices and ongoing monitoring should reduce the risk of future electrical fires as older cars are phased out or refurbished.

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