It will be months before all of SEPTA's defective rail cars return to service.

During a press conference on Wednesday, SEPTA officials said they expect to start returning the Silverliner V rail cars to service by late August.

SEPTA officials said about 10 cars will be put back into service each week starting the week of August 21 after undergoing a series of repairs, with all 120 cars removed back in service by the week of November 6.

The cars were removed in early July after inspections revealed fatigue cracks in the equalizer beams, a part of the suspension system.

A decision is expected tomorrow on the final design of the replacement equalizer beam which will be repaired by Silverliner V manufacturer Hyundai Rotem.

"A fast, but exhaustive, investigation has produced valuable information on how to create a new and improved design for these equalizer beams," said Jeffrey Knueppel, general manager of SEPTA.

It could be a tough commute though for passengers in September, when ridership is expected to increase.

"We expect it to be tougher at the start, but we see it becoming smoother toward the end of the month as more Silverliner Vs come back into service," Knueppel said.

Officials anticipate being able to return to a normal ridership schedule by October.

SEPTA said all repaired rail cars will be cleared for service after undergoing a series of tests.

 

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