Sean Duffy announces investment into SEPTA’s Silverliner IV railcars
September 3, 2026
FTA invests $13.3 million into SEPTA railcars, Sean Duffy says
The Federal Transit Administration will invest $13.3 million into SEPTA railcars, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The Federal Transit Administration will invest $13.3 million into SEPTA railcars, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
SEPTA will receive more than $13 million to upgrade its railcars, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Duffy, along with SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer, made the announcement during a press conference at the transit agency’s Overbrook Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.
WATCH HEREDuffy said the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is investing $13.3 million into SEPTA. The money will go towards upgrades to SEPTA’s Silverliner IV railcars as well as new twin railcars. Those twin railcars will not be bilevel, according to SEPTA.
The money is part of $166 million in total investments from the FTA for transit across the country, including $83 million for 45 new light rail vehicles in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, according to Duffy.
In August 2026, Pennsylvania approved an updated long-term transportation plan that includes a $2 billion project to replace all 218 of SEPTA’s Silverliner IV railcars.
The trains are more than 50 years old, with the oldest built during the Nixon administration. SEPTA said they are the oldest railcars still in operation in the country and are well past due for replacement.
“Let’s be really clear for a second,” Duffy said on Thursday. “The equipment that you’re using is really old.”
Transportation and Transit
In 2025, SEPTA inspected all of its Silverliner IV railcars under a federal mandate from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following multiple fires involving the trains.
SEPTA is framing the FTA investment as a jumpstart to their $2 billion project that they can use to start designing their new railcars. However, riders will likely have to wait five to seven years before stepping onto the first one.
“What would you say to a regional rail rider who hears major federal investment today, but might not ride a new railcar until the 2030s?” NBC10’s Andrew Rowan asked Duffy during Thursday’s press conference.
“Yeah, listen, that’s a great question. It takes time to build these, right? You don’t build these overnight,” Duffy replied. “I think the point here is when do we start? When do we start this process to bring you new cars? If we don’t start today, it’s never going to happen.”
Duffy also acknowledged the disparity between the $13.3 million investment into SEPTA and the $83 million into Pittsburgh’s light rail. He called SEPTA’s money a show of “good faith” between the transit agency and the federal government a year after the federally-mandated inspections for the Silverliner IV fleet. SEPTA said those railcars are now in their best condition in years and that 95% of the fleet is currently in service. SEPTA believes it can keep regional rail reliable for several more years until the new trains arrive.
“We’ve gone a long way from where we were a year ago,” Duffy said. “I’m proud of the work that SEPTA has done.”
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