Philly rail system back to normal after 3-month headache

Philadelphia commuter trains returned to full rush-hour capacity Monday, three months after flaws found in Silverliner V rail cars forced service cutbacks, crammed cars and headaches for thousands of transit dependents.

"With more than 1/3 of the Silverliner V cars ready to return to operation, regular weekday service resumes on ALL regional rail lines on Monday," the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) announced.

SEPTA announced over the July 4 weekend it discovered cracks in the suspension systems of 120 rail cars. The agency had enough cars to operate its weekend schedule but was forced to cut back its commuter schedule. SEPTA estimated its trains shuttled about 65,000 people each way on a normal work day, a number that dropped to fewer than 40,000 at the height of the crisis.

The Silverliner's silver lining: The cars were under warranty, and SEPTA worked with manufacturer Hyundai Rotem to resolve the problems. In the meantime, commuters jammed stations and trains struggled to reach downtown jobs.

Three months later, more than half the damaged cars remain out of service. But SEPTA says it has leased additional cars and has enough equipment to roll.

"There were a few overcrowded trains today, but overall it was close to a normal day," Matthew Mitchell, vice president of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, told Paste BN. "The sooner we get things back to normal, the sooner we can building ridership back up to where it was before."

SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Knueppel said he was "excited" to return service to the levels passengers deserve.

"We are grateful to our customers for their patience, and we sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused," he said.

Philadelphia is not alone in its struggles to keep commuter trains rolling. Commuters headed into New York from New Jersey faced headaches Monday, four days after a train slammed through a bumper and across a walkway at the Hoboken station. NJ Transit service into and out of the station remained suspended.

Washington, D.C., also has faced struggles. In May, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx threatened to suspend the Metro subway system if officials failed to make immediate changes to fix dangerous safety lapses. Now the system is undergoing long-term subway maintenance repairs that are forcing sections of the system to completely shut down for weeks at a time.