"These are custom-made railcars," Maloney said. "When we eventually get them, we think our passengers will be very happy. But we have to get it right the first time."
SEPTA's Regional Rail passengers, packed into overcrowded cars during morning and evening rush hours, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of new cars since the contract was first awarded in 2004, thrown out because of competitors' complaints, and awarded again in 2006.
A faulty communications system still plagues the new cars, and some of the vehicles being outfitted at a South Korean factory have been held up by rust damage.
And the new railcars are nearly 10,000 pounds overweight.
The additional weight "is not considered a problem in performance or maintenance," Maloney said.
The builder of the new cars, United Transit Systems, is a consortium of Hyundai-Rotem Co. of South Korea and Sojitz Corp. of America, a U.S. subsidiary of Sojitz Corp. of Japan.
The 120 new Silverliner V cars, for which SEPTA is paying $274 million, are being built in South Korea, and final assembly is being done at a plant on Weccacoe Avenue in South Philadelphia.
Both plants have encountered problems, according to an internal SEPTA report.
Inexperienced workers, late material shipments, and poor workmanship "continue to cause production car delays at the final assembly facility" in South Philadelphia, the report said.
The manufacturer has hired additional workers locally and brought more employees in from its plant in Changwon, South Korea, to try to speed production.
"UTS continues to struggle with labor expertise and experience levels of the workers at the local plant," the report said. Inspectors at the plant "have noted some improvements in material availability, though there are shortage issues that continue to impact production activities from time to time."
