Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces Emergency Action to Ensure the Safety of Philadelphia's SEPTA Commuter Rail Operations

The Federal Railroad Administration is Actively Monitoring the Inspection, Testing, Maintenance and Operation of the Railroad’s Fleet 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued an Emergency Order requiring the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to take immediate, sweeping action following recent fires on SEPTA passenger rail cars. FRA is ordering SEPTA to follow several safety-related steps to prevent the future risk of fires and other malfunctions on SEPTA’s system, which moves millions of riders per year around Philadelphia.

“At my direction, FRA is taking swift and immediate action to ensure the safety of all passengers and transit workers on SEPTA. This includes deploying our team of experts to SEPTA’s trains, repair shops, dispatch center, to ensure thorough safety precautions are being implemented,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Recent fires and ongoing mechanical problems are unacceptable to such a critical rail line. Under President Trump, we will always put the safety of the American people first. SEPTA must take action to correct these persistent dangers.”

Additional Information:

The Emergency Order cites five instances the commuter service caught fire or experienced an emergency situation related from a thermal event this year alone.

Specifically, the Emergency Order directs SEPTA to take immediate actions within seven days to reduce the risk of additional fires:

• Develop a plan to determine the direct and contributing causes of each fire or thermal incident that has occurred in 2025 and identify the root causes, circumstances, personnel, funding, or other conditions that have caused the fires and thermal incidents to occur in this period.  SEPTA shall implement this plan and provide FRA with a written report of its findings no later than October 30, 2025.
• Prepare and submit to FRA for approval an emergency mechanical inspection schedule of each Silverliner IV EMU. The schedule shall require that each Silverliner IV EMU in SEPTA’s fleet be removed from service to complete a comprehensive inspection including, but not limited to, high-voltage control systems, propulsion system, and dynamic brake system, HVAC system, components and elements of safety and warning systems, high- and low-voltage cables, harnesses and connectors, and the condition of terminals and lugs, as well as any associated peripheral systems. The schedule shall prioritize cars into a number of groups and remove the first group from service no later than the date the emergency mechanical inspection schedule is submitted to FRA.  The scheduled inspections shall be completed within 30 calendar days of the date of this Order. 
• Review its inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) plan required under § 238.107 and submit the plan to FRA with proposed amendments sufficient to ensure that mechanical failures of the type leading to fires or thermal incidents will be detected and repaired.
• Update, as needed, SEPTA Supplemental Division Notice Number 7-20C and any other relevant operating rule to implement the requirements of this Order. 
• Require by issuance of a written notice to train crews that every engineer report any sluggish or poor performance of braking or acceleration or any anomalous vehicle behavior to the dispatcher within 5 minutes of the event.
• Complete a stand-down and debriefing with every mechanical employee involved with the inspection, troubleshooting, maintenance, or repair of Silverliner IV EMUs to include review of all fire and thermal incidents, the known direct and indirect causes, and to solicit feedback from the employees to identify improvements that SEPTA can make in its maintenance programs and practices.   
• Conduct random quality audits of the performance of the mechanical department’s completion of repair and maintenance work items. Audits must occur every day and cover more than one shift each day.

The Emergency Order also gives SEPTA 30 days to take the below additional measures:

• Complete all actions under the emergency mechanical inspection schedule that has been approved by FRA, including inspection of all Silverliner IV EMUs for precursor conditions that increase the likelihood of a fire or thermal incident. 
• Install thermal protection circuits at all critical locations on every Silverliner IV EMU to shut down propulsion and auxiliary circuits if higher than normal operating temperatures are detected.
• Document all inspections and repairs made to the Silverliner IV EMU fleet and present a graphical depiction of significant defects identified to the employees performing the work to clearly show to the employees leading and trailing indicators. 
• Review all technical documents such as repair procedures, part lists, bills of materials, maintenance and modification instructions, tooling, and inventory requirements, and revise as needed to ensure all are up to date.
• Ensure that the mechanical department reviews and updates employee training requirements and proficiency tests to address any deficiency identified in the implementation of this Order.   
• Complete, or cause to be completed, a comprehensive update of all root cause analyses begun in response to fire or thermal incidents and develop a corrective action plan to prevent their recurrence and implement continuous monitoring of mechanical systems performance.
• Comply with all requirements of the revised ITM plan submitted to and approved by FRA. 

Failure to comply with FRA’s directive may lead to more violations and increased oversight of the system at the federal level.

###