Gov. Shapiro allocated $220 million to SEPTA to get Regional Rail back on track
With the new capital funds, SEPTA will be able to restore Regional Rail to its normal capacity within a few weeks.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is sending $220 million to SEPTA as it repairs fire-prone Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars and a damaged overhead power system in the trolley tunnel that together have brought commuting chaos.
With the new capital funds, SEPTA will be able to restore Regional Rail to its normal capacity within a few weeks.
Shapiro has directed PennDot to transfer money set aside for emergencies from the Public Transit Trust Fund to SEPTA, his office said.
» READ MORE: Is there actually $1 billion sitting in a fund for SEPTA? Explaining the Public Transportation Trust Fund.
SEPTA’s increasing needs
He announced the aid Monday at the transit agency’s train yard and maintenance shop in Frazer, Chester County.
Federal regulators on Oct. 1 ordered SEPTA to inspect and repair, as needed, all of its Silverliner IV fleet after five train fires involving the 50-year-old cars.
Delays, cancellations, station skips, and overcrowded Regional Rail trains running with fewer than the normal number of cars have been regular challenges for riders during six weeks of inspections and repairs focused on electrical components of the 223 Silverliner IVs.
Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration ordered SEPTA to inspect its trolley power system after four incidents, including two times trolleys stalled in the Center City tunnel, requiring 415 passengers to be evacuated.
The budget impasse
Shapiro said he was forced to act for the second straight year because Senate Republicans wouldn’t support additional recurring funding for mass transit operations in the state budget.
“They’ve come up with a ton of excuses, but they haven’t come up with the funding,” Shapiro said.
Last November, he redirected $153 million in federal highway funding to SEPTA following a similar impasse in passing state transit subsidies.
After the governor decided in September that no budget agreement on transit funding was possible, PennDot allowed SEPTA to tap $394 million in state money allocated for future capital projects to pay for two years of operating expenses.
The transit agency was facing a $213 million recurring deficit in its operating budget.
In late August, SEPTA had canceled 32 bus lines and significantly curtailed other service as part of a “doomsday scenario” the agency said was caused by lack of new state funding.
Riders were inconvenienced, a lawsuit was filed, and a Philadelphia judge ordered the cuts to be reversed.
Then the $394 million reprieve arrived.
Yet the problems with the rail cars and trolleys served to underscore the risks of using capital funds for day-to-day operations.
“A history of chronic underinvestment has led us to this point,” said Chester County Commissioner Marian D. Moskowitz, who is vice chair of SEPTA’s board.
She noted that SEPTA has a much smaller capital budget than other large transit agencies.
What this money will do
In addition to the repairs, $17 million of the new state money announced Monday is intended to pay for the lease of 10 Silverliner IV rail cars from Maryland’s commuter railroad and the possible purchase of 20 cars from Montreal.
Highlights of SEPTA’s plans for the $220 million:
$95 million for electrical system upgrades, overhauled propulsion motors and more on the Silverliner IV train cars and the newer Silverliner V models.
$48.4 million to update the overhead catenary wires in the trolley tunnel, along with three new catenary-maintenance cars for the tunnel and along trolley lines, and on long Regional Rail lines.
$51.5 million to upgrade 13 escalators at SEPTA stations, install AI-powered inspection cameras to catch potential problems earlier, and technology improvements at SEPTA’s Control Center
$8 million to install replacement parts for Broad Street Line and Norristown High Speed Line cars.
“These funds are going to make a significant difference in our efforts to overcome the current crises,” SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer said, and to help avoid future ones.
He thanked the governor and pledged “a comprehensive effort to identify potential problems sooner before they grow and lead to delays, cancellations, or shutdowns.”
Shapiro had proposed an increase in the share of general sales-tax revenue devoted to transit subsidies over five years.
Leaders of the GOP-controlled Senate said the $1.5 billion price tag was too high and proposed shifting capital money to operating subsidies for the state’s transit systems and roads — an idea partially reflected in the Shapiro administration’s temporary solution.
“I am glad the Governor continues to take our advice and use existing resources to support public transit,” Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said in a statement.
“It’s unfortunate that just one year ago, he took $153 million of funding from critical [road] infrastructure projects to fund transit, neglecting the needs of those who use our roadways every single day,” Pittman said.
Republicans also argued that SEPTA had been mismanaged and needs change.
As the next state budget cycle nears, the debate is likely to continue.
“I want you to know I’m going to be a continue to be a governor who supports mass transit, who gives a damn about SEPTA, who cares about those 800,000 people that rely on SEPTA every single day,” Shapiro said.