SEPTA continues to harm for assets because it fights federal scrutiny

The Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority faces security considerations along with cash woes following a sequence of fires this yr, that sparked the eye of the federal authorities.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy despatched a letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro final week reprimanding him for SEPTA’s sorry state of affairs.

The Federal Transit Authority is requiring SEPTA to examine a fleet of commuter railcars by the tip of the month. 

The company’ is spending down its capital price range to plug an working price range hole. 

Originally of the month, the Federal Railroad Administration set 14 situations that SEPTA should meet for security on the Silverliner IV fleet, based on the letter. SEPTA eliminated all Silverliner IV automobiles from service till they are often inspected. 

“Simply this yr, SEPTA commuter rail automobiles have caught hearth or skilled an emergency from a thermal occasion 5 instances,” Duffy wrote within the letter. “If modifications usually are not made instantly, it’s only a matter of time earlier than SEPTA’s crumbling commuter rail system erupts in flames and kills somebody.”

The letter additionally referenced two electrical buses that caught hearth; the FTA has requested details about SEPTA’s security and storage protocols for these buses, Duffy stated. 

SEPTA’s normal supervisor Scott Sauer acknowledged the FTA’s security considerations, pinning the issues on underinvestment. “We’ve got an outdated fleet. The oldest within the nation,” Sauer stated. 

In his letter, Duffy stated Shapiro has been negligent in his oversight and “didn’t safe secure state funding” for SEPTA. 

A spokesperson for Shapiro objected to Duffy’s framing in a press release. “Gov. Shapiro has been combating for extra recurring income to help SEPTA for the final two years,” the assertion stated. “If Secretary Duffy truly desires to be useful, he ought to name his fellow Republicans and get them to fund the governor’s mass transit funding package deal for SEPTA. We’d be joyful to supply their cellphone numbers.”

SEPTA had inspected 88 of the 225 Silverliner IV automobiles by the tip of final week, based on native information shops. The company is meant to complete inspections by the tip of the month, though Duffy has not laid out a punishment if it fails. 

The lack of the Silverliner IV automobiles has reportedly triggered overcrowding on SEPTA’s regional rail service. 

Duffy has repeatedly focused public transit companies. He is despatched a number of letters to the New York MTA demanding data and threatening to chop its funding. 

SEPTA has a $213 million working price range hole. When the Pennsylvania legislature was unable to find out a funding supply to fill the hole, Shapiro allowed it to spend its capital price range on operations. 

Duffy acknowledged the budgetary issues, describing SEPTA’s present association as “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Nonetheless, the FTA is requiring SEPTA to reimburse the federal authorities $55 million for a cope with a Chinese language producer for a railcar procurement that fell by, Duffy stated within the letter. 

SEPTA has been delaying capital initiatives on account of its budgetary woes. The company stated it has delayed or scaled again 44 infrastructure initiatives to save lots of $1.8 billion over the following 12 years.