Up to 240 new train cars are coming to SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line
Riders can expect to see the first new cars in the spring of 2029 and the last by 2031, the agency says. The transit agency’s board voted Thursday to approve a contract of up to $848 million.
SEPTA knows that mechanical breakdowns and service disruptions are all too common on the Market-Frankford Line.
Help is on the way — though it’ll take a few years.
The transit agency’s board on Thursday voted to approve a contract of up to $848 million with manufacturer Hitachi Rail STS USA Inc. for as many as 240 cars on the El. Riders can expect to see the first new cars in the spring of 2029 and the last by 2031, the agency says.
Officials say the new M5 cars will replace a fleet that have had issues since they arrived in Philadelphia in the late 1990s.
“The EL is SEPTA’s workhorse, and the new rail cars are part of the authority’s commitment to providing reliable and accessible service for decades to come,” board chair Ken Lawrence Jr. said during Thursday’s meeting.
He said a big source of funding for the new cars is being provided through a $317 million federal grant awarded to SEPTA earlier this year under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
SEPTA needs about 96 functioning cars to provide the El’s level of weekday service, officials have said. On average, about 85 cars are available, due to inspections, repairs, and maintenance.
That means riders spend more time waiting for the next train.
The current fleet of M4 cars have faced problems for years. Most recently, starting in 2017 inspections found cracks in at least 40 cars. The agency started a new structural repair program that has cost more than $19 million.
The cars “have reached the end of their useful life,” said Leslie S. Richards, SEPTA’s CEO and general manager. “Our riders deserve better, and this new fleet demonstrates SEPTA’s commitment to deliver a safe and clean system.”
The contract approved Thursday includes a base order of $724 million for 200 cars, with options to buy up to 40 more.
London-based Hitachi Rail is an affiliate of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Group. The rail company’s U.S. headquarters is in Pittsburgh, and the cars will be built at the company’s manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, Md., according to SEPTA.
Staff writer Thomas Fitzgerald contributed to this article.