Railroad Forums 

  • SEPTA to get multi-level railroad coaches

  • Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.
Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.

Moderator: AlexC

 #1523382  by zebrasepta
 
There's a small update with the order and it seems like CRRC is hiring people to build the railcars soon and the order won't get completed until Fall 2021

https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/10/c ... oject.html
SPRINGFIELD — CRRC MA, the Chinese-owned rail car manufacturer with a $95 million factory in East Springfield, is hiring to fulfill an order for double-decker commuter rail cars placed by SEPTA, the Philadelphia-area transit network.



The bilevel train cars will come from China as empty shells and get fitted out in Springfield with interiors, electronics, brakes, wheels and suspension systems, in the same way CRRC makes subway cars for the MBTA.

Work on the SEPTA order begins in the middle of next year, producing four cars a month, and wraps up in the fall of 2021, Rivera said.
 #1540983  by MACTRAXX
 
Everyone:

Has there been any update on SEPTA's order of 45 to 55 CRRC bilevel cars for RRD?
(The base order is for 45 cars with a possible add-on of 10 cars)

The original plan is to have the first four cars delivered in Summer 2020 for testing.
Is this delivery date still on schedule?

With the significant drop in ridership on Regional Rail due to PA stay-at-home
policies being enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic there is currently a surplus
of all RRD equipment especially with all push-pull train services suspended indefinitely
for the duration.

These cars are slated for high ridership weekday peak hour trains that serve limited
stops on these RRD lines: Paoli-Thorndale, Wilmington-Newark, West Trenton and
Trenton along with the current Bombardier push-pull car fleet and ACS64 motors.

There may not be a need for these cars for some time to come depending on how
RRD ridership returns to the system along with the gradual return to normalcy
These cars actually could assist with "social distancing" policies aboard trains.

MACTRAXX
 #1540992  by rcthompson04
 
MACTRAXX wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:02 am There may not be a need for these cars for some time to come depending on how
RRD ridership returns to the system along with the gradual return to normalcy
These cars actually could assist with "social distancing" policies aboard trains.

MACTRAXX
No news that I can find on the internet, but using the push pull equipment seems like a good way to enforce social distancing when trains start running in a more frequent tempo.
 #1541013  by njtmnrrbuff
 
When those CRRC multilevels enter revenue service, it sounds like they will mainly run on rush hour trains that make limited stops. They will be good for that. Many of Septa's RRD routes are always meant for running MU operations, given many of the stops being a mile from each other. It looks like Septa might want to consider assigning the CRRC multilevel sets to additional WIL/NRK trains that use only MU equipment and make limited stops.
 #1541045  by Silverliner II
 
MACTRAXX wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:02 am Everyone:

Has there been any update on SEPTA's order of 45 to 55 CRRC bilevel cars for RRD?
(The base order is for 45 cars with a possible add-on of 10 cars)

The original plan is to have the first four cars delivered in Summer 2020 for testing.
Is this delivery date still on schedule?
The original schedule is pushed back about 6 months by mutual agreement between SEPTA and CRRC to work out welding quality concerns. I've not heard anything since then, so I'll assume that no news is good news.... though it is likely things are at a standstill right now due to the COVID-19 situation.
 #1541167  by MACTRAXX
 
S2 and Everyone: With this news the first four CRRC bilevels is to be expected to be
delivered in December 2020 or January 2021 am I correct? This will push deliveries
back and by this time next year with a four car per month timeline there may be 16
cars total on the property?

The Silverliner Four fleet is about 225 cars (does someone have an exact number
now in service?) remembering that 231 was once the total fleet count. At most
(estimated) 50 cars would be replaced which is maybe 25 %.

MU cars are much more flexible to use for SEPTA RRD service than the push-pull fleet.
The age of the Silverliner Four fleet shows how much more important that a new S Six
order could be going forward into the 2020s decade - they are needed far more than the CRRC cars.
MACTRAXX
 #1541199  by Silverliner II
 
MACTRAXX wrote: Wed Apr 29, 2020 8:01 pm The Silverliner Four fleet is about 225 cars (does someone have an exact number
now in service?) remembering that 231 was once the total fleet count. At most
(estimated) 50 cars would be replaced which is maybe 25 %.
MACTRAXX
Out of 231 cars, the Silverliner IV fleet is down to 229.
The first fallen car was 9020 (splintered apart in the North Wales rear-ender in 1980).

The second is car 144 (burned at Glenside). But, a twist: In a rare moment of ingenuity, SEPTA took Silverliner IV single car 278, renumbered it to 144, and mated it with 143. The coupler on the "F" end of 278 was removed, and replaced with a drawbar and all the necessary air and electrical lines as with the rest of the married pairs. The pantograph remains on the "new" 144, since they could not run a high voltage bus line between the pair. 143 retains its pantograph as well.

The original 144 is reported to have been given 278's number and reportedly is being evaluated for either scrap or conversion to a spare gel train cab control car.
 #1541227  by ekt8750
 
Silverliner II wrote: Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:29 pm
MACTRAXX wrote: Wed Apr 29, 2020 8:01 pm The Silverliner Four fleet is about 225 cars (does someone have an exact number
now in service?) remembering that 231 was once the total fleet count. At most
(estimated) 50 cars would be replaced which is maybe 25 %.
MACTRAXX
Out of 231 cars, the Silverliner IV fleet is down to 229.
The first fallen car was 9020 (splintered apart in the North Wales rear-ender in 1980).

The second is car 144 (burned at Glenside). But, a twist: In a rare moment of ingenuity, SEPTA took Silverliner IV single car 278, renumbered it to 144, and mated it with 143. The coupler on the "F" end of 278 was removed, and replaced with a drawbar and all the necessary air and electrical lines as with the rest of the married pairs. The pantograph remains on the "new" 144, since they could not run a high voltage bus line between the pair. 143 retains its pantograph as well.

The original 144 is reported to have been given 278's number and reportedly is being evaluated for either scrap or conversion to a spare gel train cab control car.
Wow I did not know this. Did the new 144 retain its B end cab or did they remove it in place of a blind wall like the rest of the married pairs?
 #1541253  by Silverliner II
 
ekt8750 wrote: Thu Apr 30, 2020 7:03 pm Wow I did not know this. Did the new 144 retain its B end cab or did they remove it in place of a blind wall like the rest of the married pairs?
Let me answer that this way.... Photos by Paul Osciak, used with permission. Cab windows are still in place; don't know about controls and the like.
(84.02 KiB) Downloaded 3526 times
(99.3 KiB) Downloaded 3526 times
144-143 - 1.jpg
144-143 - 1.jpg (92.34 KiB) Viewed 4273 times
 #1541296  by NorthPennLimited
 
From a risk management perspective, it would be prudent to scrap the original 144 that was burned up.

The structural steel under the car may have lost some of its structural integrity depending on the intensity of the heat from the fire. A weakened steel underframe can be prone to stress cracks, compound fissures, etc. Especially after nearly 50 years of service.

The smart move is to take the loss and scrap the car. A used cab car for gel trains can be easily found for $50k-100k
 #1542748  by Pensyfan19
 
Apparently the wikipedia article for the Bombardier Multilevels says that SEPTA ordered Multilevel IIIs in December 2018 to replace all remaining Silverliner IVs. I do not think this info is true at all, but can someone please confirm this?! #notmysilverliner

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombard ... evel_Coach
In December 2018, NJ Transit ordered 113 new electric multiple unit coaches, designated MultiLevel III; the order included 58 units with AC electric propulsion systems and 55 unpowered cars.[11] The contract included options for up to more cars for NJ Transit, as well as 250 cars (including power cars) for SEPTA Regional Rail.[11] The cars are to replace the existing Arrow III EMUs and Silverliner IV as well.
I also checked the reference on Wikipedia for this quote from railway journal and the article says nothing about SEPTA ordering them.
 #1542797  by rcthompson04
 
Pensyfan19 wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 1:59 pm Apparently the wikipedia article for the Bombardier Multilevels says that SEPTA ordered Multilevel IIIs in December 2018 to replace all remaining Silverliner IVs. I do not think this info is true at all, but can someone please confirm this?! #notmysilverliner

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombard ... evel_Coach
In December 2018, NJ Transit ordered 113 new electric multiple unit coaches, designated MultiLevel III; the order included 58 units with AC electric propulsion systems and 55 unpowered cars.[11] The contract included options for up to more cars for NJ Transit, as well as 250 cars (including power cars) for SEPTA Regional Rail.[11] The cars are to replace the existing Arrow III EMUs and Silverliner IV as well.
I also checked the reference on Wikipedia for this quote from railway journal and the article says nothing about SEPTA ordering them.
SEPTA has options at the end of the NJT order.
 #1542824  by R3 Passenger
 
rcthompson04 wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 8:31 pm SEPTA has options at the end of the NJT order.
Per SEPTA's current proposed Capital Budget on Page 9:
SEPTA Capital Budget FY 2021 Page 9 wrote: Current funding will not allow SEPTA to utilize an option it has on a New Jersey Transit procurement to begin the replacement of the Silverliner IV fleet nor pursue associated vehicle procurements on the MFL.
The option doesn't matter if SEPTA can't get the funding.
 #1543096  by sammy2009
 
R3 Passenger wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 7:24 am
rcthompson04 wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 8:31 pm SEPTA has options at the end of the NJT order.
Per SEPTA's current proposed Capital Budget on Page 9:
SEPTA Capital Budget FY 2021 Page 9 wrote: Current funding will not allow SEPTA to utilize an option it has on a New Jersey Transit procurement to begin the replacement of the Silverliner IV fleet nor pursue associated vehicle procurements on the MFL.
The option doesn't matter if SEPTA can't get the funding.
Ahhhhh well it was nice to dream....those renderings was everything. ;_(
  • 1
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15