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SEPTA Regional Rail service delayed, trains canceled due to ‘signal issues’

The issues added to the slowdown on a morning already full of canceled trains, as SEPTA scrambles to complete required inspections following five train fires this year.

Commuters arriving Suburban Station. SEPTA cancels some Airport, Fox Chase and Chestnut Hill West regional rail, Monday, November 10, 2025.
Commuters arriving Suburban Station. SEPTA cancels some Airport, Fox Chase and Chestnut Hill West regional rail, Monday, November 10, 2025.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

SEPTA commuters faced delays on a number of Regional Rail lines this morning, which the transit authority said was due to signal issues affecting service in Center City.

“The signal power was restored and service resumed normal operations just after 5:30 a.m.,” said SEPTA spokesperson Kelly Greene. “However, we did experience significant residual delays, up to 60 minutes for some trains.”

Around 6 a.m., SEPTA said “residual” delays were still impacting travelers headed to these destinations:

  1. Airport

  2. Chestnut Hill East

  3. Chestnut Hill West

  4. Fox Chase

  5. Doylestown

  6. Media

  7. Norristown

  8. Thorndale

  9. Trenton

  10. Warminster

  11. Newark

  12. West Trenton

Details can be found on SEPTA’s website and its social media posts.

» READ MORE: Pa. lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro have approved a $50.1 billion state budget, officially ending monthslong impasse

The delays Thursday came in addition to expected Regional Rail cancellations announced earlier this week, as SEPTA responds to a Federal Railroad Administration emergency order to conduct inspections of all 223 of its Silverliner IV trains following five fires this year.

For about a month, the safety inspections of the Silverliner IV cars, which date to the Nixon administration, have led to frequent delays, cancellations and overcrowding. To help ease the shortages, SEPTA has rented 10 commuter railcars from Maryland for $2.6 million over the next year.

The canceled trains Thursday included selected trips on the Airport, Fox Chase, and Chestnut Hill West lines.

SEPTA said online it halted these trains as it works to complete the federally mandated inspections of the Silverliner IV fleet by the deadline this Friday.

“We fully expect to meet tomorrow’s deadline, with 220 of the 223 inspections completed as of this morning,” Greene said.

From there, Greene said, SEPTA will accelerate its efforts to repair and install thermal protection circuits — safety devices that can stop electricity from flowing through an overheating system.

“Regional Rail reliability should gradually improve through the end of the year as more railcars are repaired and returned to service,” Greene said.

SEPTA is the state’s largest mass transit authority and earlier this year was at the center of a funding fight that exposed the commonwealth’s rural-urban divide.

In September, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration granted SEPTA’s request to access capital funds as a stopgap measure, keeping the trains running.

Wednesday’s state budget deal, which ended a monthslong funding impasse, did not include a funding fix for SEPTA.