September 29, 2016
SEPTA will resume regular weekday schedules Monday on its Regional Rail schedules, ending months of modified schedules caused by structural damages to the transit authority's entire Silverliner V fleet.
All Regional Rail lines will operate on schedules dated June 19 except the Media/Elwyn Line, which will run on a new schedule dated Oct. 2. The schedules are published online and available on SEPTA's phone app.
Four trains — two on the Trenton Line and one each on the Paoli/Thorndale and Wilmington/Newark lines — will have schedule modifications caused by the logistics of operating leasing trains.
The announcement came one day after a SEPTA Twitter account told riders that normal service was unlikely to resume on Monday. The @SEPTA_SOCIAL handle tweeted that revised schedules would be in effect.
SEPTA anticipates some crowding during the transition, but expects conditions to improve as more Silverliner V cars return to service throughout the week. More than 50 cars will be available for service beginning Monday.
SEPTA pulled all 120 Silverliner V cars from service on July 1 following the discovery of cracks to equalizer beams on most of the vehicles. The beams are part of the cars' suspension system.
With some Silverliners returning to service and the continued leasing of trains from other transit organizations, SEPTA is able to return to normal service.
SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel praised riders for enduring the delays and modifications that stretched into the fall.
"We are excited to bring Regional Rail service back to the level our loyal customers expect and deserve," Knueppel said in a statement. "We are grateful to our customers for their patience and we sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused."
