(The following story by Paul Nussbaum appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on April 22, 2009.)
PHILADELPHIA — The long-awaited arrival of SEPTA’s first new Silverliner V railcars is likely to be delayed again, SEPTA general manager Joseph Casey said yesterday.
The first test cars were to arrive this month and the first production Silverliner Vs were supposed to be in service by fall.
After meeting tomorrow with the South Korean manufacturer, Casey said, he will have a “revised schedule.” He said he still expected complete delivery of all 120 new railcars by late 2010, as previously scheduled.
SEPTA’s Regional Rail passengers, packed in overcrowded cars during morning and evening rush hours, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new cars, and a passenger advocate yesterday chastised SEPTA for the latest delays.
“We knew this project was in trouble and there would be additional slippage in delivery,” said Matthew Mitchell of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. “For the passengers, this will mean additional months of the current overcrowded conditions, and for SEPTA, it will mean a lot of extra work and expense to keep the existing cars running.”
Mitchell said SEPTA should demand cash compensation from the manufacturer for the delays and not accept “in-kind” compensation as it has for delays in past projects.
Hyundai Rotem USA Corp., a division of South Korean automaker Hyundai Motors Group, and Sojitz Corp., a Japanese company, have formed a consortium to build 120 Silverliners for $274 million.
The railcars are to be assembled at a South Philadelphia plant from components brought in from around the world. The initial three test cars are being built in South Korea.
SEPTA’s assistant general manager for operations, Luther Diggs, traveled to South Korea last week to meet with the manufacturer about production issues and possible delays.
The new Silverliners will replace 73 railcars that were built for SEPTA in the 1960s. With the retirement of the old cars and the addition of the new ones, SEPTA is to have about 400 railcars by 2010.
SEPTA riders turned out yesterday to address the agency’s proposed $418 million capital budget, the spending plan for new vehicles, buildings, and other non-operating expenses.
In addition to the issue of the Silverliners, riders called for the return to South Philadelphia of trackless trolleys, which were “temporarily” taken out of service six years ago.
Thirty-eight new trackless trolleys were brought back to three routes in Northeast Philadelphia last year, but SEPTA has stuck to its 2006 decision – over the city’s objections – not to buy 23 more of the electric vehicles to restore service in South Philadelphia.
SEPTA managers have said they prefer buses, which are cheaper to buy and more flexible to operate.
SEPTA will “work with Rina Cutler [Mayor Nutter’s transportation chief and nominee to SEPTA’s board] to take a second look” at trackless trolleys in South Philadelphia, said Richard Burnfield, SEPTA’s chief financial officer.
Several Jenkintown-area residents asked SEPTA to scrap plans for a new 600-space parking garage at the Jenkintown-Wyncote rail station. Local residents fear the project would increase traffic in their tree-lined neighborhood of narrow streets. Construction is slated to begin in 2011.