NTSB urges transit authority to retire aging rail cars due to fire risk
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a stark warning to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), urging the immediate suspension of more than half its regional rail fleet following a series of fires linked to aging train cars.
In a report released Wednesday, the NTSB called the continued use of SEPTA’s Silverliner IV rail cars—some dating back to the mid-1970s—an “unacceptable risk.”
According to WHYY.com, The National Transportation Safety Board issued a stern warning to SEPTA on Wednesday, urging the transit agency to take immediate action due to fire risks in its fleet of Silverliner IV railcars.
The agency referred to five fire incidents since February 2025, which they took as evidence of systemic safety failures.
The warning follows a series of fires on the following dates:
- Feb. 6 in Ridley Park
- June 3 in Levittown, Pennsylvania
- July 22 in Paoli, Pennsylvania
- Sept. 23 in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
- Sept. 25 in Philadelphia
The most serious incident occurred in February, when a Silverliner IV car caught fire, forcing the evacuation of over 300 passengers and injuring four. That event triggered the federal investigation, which has now culminated in a recommendation that SEPTA develop a plan within 30 days to either retrofit or replace the roughly 225 cars in question.
“We all see the urgency in this,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer at a press briefing. “While I was surprised by the recommendation, we share their concern. We won’t put a car out there that won’t pass our inspection process.”
SEPTA, which serves Philadelphia and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, logs approximately 90,000 passenger trips on a typical weekday.
The transit agency has faced mounting challenges in recent months, including a $213 million budget shortfall, fare hikes, and service cuts that were later reversed by court order.
Andrew Busch, a SEPTA spokesperson, emphasized that the agency is intensifying inspections and deploying station-based inspectors to monitor warning systems.
“We’re going to keep them in service with a very intense inspection schedule,” he said, noting that full fleet replacement could take five to seven years even with adequate funding.
SEPTA has long argued that it receives less state support than peer agencies in Boston and Washington, complicating efforts to modernize its infrastructure. The NTSB, while lacking enforcement authority, carries significant influence in shaping transportation safety policy.
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