Overview

• Federal investigators issued urgent recommendations Wednesday that include suspending the Silverliner IV fleet until root causes of fires are addressed and organizational failures are corrected.
• The move follows five electrical fires this year, with the NTSB concluding that the cars’ aging design combined with maintenance and operating practices creates an unacceptable safety risk.
• The NTSB urged an expedited replacement or retrofit program that meets modern federal fire-safety standards and recommended SEPTA seek funding to accelerate that work.
• The board called for a monitoring plan to assess mitigation efforts with provisions to immediately remove the fleet again if fires recur, and it set a 30-day deadline for a formal response.
• SEPTA said train service will continue with added inspections to ensure safe travel, and Fox 29 reported, citing sources, that two regional rail maintenance leaders were placed on administrative leave.