Regional Rail

Now that SEPTA has finally received most of its 120 new Silverliner V rail cars, the transit agency faces another major issue: when to replace the cars' aging predecessors, the 231 Silverliner IVs that form the bulk of the Regional Rail fleet. Those Silverliner IVs are 36 to 38 years old, about the same age that their forerunners were back in 2006 when SEPTA ordered the new cars to replace them. But SEPTA has no money for more rail cars to replace anthe Silverliner IVs - or almost anything else - so riders can expect to grow old with the existing fleet.

SEPTA is still waiting for its last seven rail cars from Hyundai Rotem Co., the South Korean manufacturer that is assembling the Silverliner V cars at a South Philadelphia factory. Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of the Hyundai automaker, is two years behind in completing delivery of 120 railcars ordered by SEPTA in 2006, and it faces millions of dollars in penalties. So far, SEPTA has received 113 of the cars, and 108 are in service on SEPTA routes. Five of the 113 are still being tested by SEPTA workers.

SEPTA riders soon will see the first faint stirrings of the future, as workers begin measuring, marking, and testing at subway stations around the city. Crews are preparing the way for SEPTA's long-delayed "smart card" fare system, which is to go live late next year on subways, buses, and trolleys. For Regional Rail, the system won't be ready until 2014. Since SEPTA awarded a $129.5 million contract in November to ACS Transport Solutions Group of Columbia, Md., much of the work on the new fare system has been invisible, with designers and consultants drawing up plans and timetables.

I AM WRITING in response to the "Trapdoor Peril" article in the Friday's Daily News. The article needlessly attempts to alarm the public and contains factual inaccuracies regarding the safety of the trap doors on Regional Rail train cars. Commuter train service has historically been one of the safest modes of transportation, and the utilization of these traps has been in existence for decades. These doors are used by virtually every passenger railroad on the East Coast, and neither SEPTA not the Federal Railroad Administration would allow these doors if they were unsafe.

The last of SEPTA's old Silverliner II and Silverliner III train cars, dating from the 1960s, are making their final runs this week. The two cars, the last remnants of a fleet of 75, will be taken out of service Friday evening, a day before a federal waiver of handicapped-accessibility rules expires. They will spend their final days on SEPTA's shortest regional rail line, shuttling between Suburban Station and Cynwyd. SEPTA has been gradually replacing its oldest cars with new Silverliner V cars for the past 20 months, as new cars arrive from the Hyundai-Rotem Corp.

The last of SEPTA's Silverliner II and Silverliner III train cars, dating from the 1960s, are making their final runs this week. The two cars, the last remnants of a fleet of 75, will be taken out of service Friday evening, a day before a federal waiver of handicapped-accessibility rules expires. They will spend their final days on SEPTA's shortest Regional Rail line, shuttling between Suburban Station and Cynwyd. SEPTA has been gradually replacing its oldest cars with new Silverliner V cars for the last 20 months, as new cars arrive from the Hyundai-Rotem Corp.

A male riding an all-terrain vehicle was injured late Thursday afternoon when he was hit by a SEPTA train in Bucks County, an agency spokesman said. The ATV rider, whose age was not available, was sideswiped by an inbound West Trenton train around 5:30 p.m. just north of the Trevose station, said SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch. The male, whose injuries were not reported to be life-threatening, was taken to an area hospital to be treated. Service was delayed on the regional rail line until about 6:15 p.m., Busch said.

PHILADELPHIA No rape charges A police spokesman said yesterday that no sex-assault charges were filed against a man accused of a Nov. 12 rape at the Occupy Philly encampment at City Hall. Lt. Ray Evers said the District Attorney's Office declined to file charges. He would not comment further. A 25-year-old Atlantic City woman had called 9-1-1 about 7:45 p.m. on Nov. 12, claiming she had been raped in a tent. Police later arrested a 50-year-old man with addresses in Michigan and Philadelphia.