Cause Of Levittown Train Fire Revealed As NTSB Worries Of Future Risks

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a warning about SEPTA’s aging Regional Rail cars, but SEPTA officials said they will keep its aging Silverliner IV railcars in service after a series of fires this year, including one at the Levittown Train Station.

The NTSB issued its warning Wednesday after they found that the fleet presents an “immediate and unacceptable safety risk.”

SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer defended the decision to keep the cars in service and told reporters the agency’s new safety measures make continued operation safe.

The federal investigation followed fires on Silverliner IV cars on Feb. 6 in Ridley Park, June 3 at the Levittown Train Station in Tullytown Borough, July 22 in Paoli, Sept. 23 in Fort Washington, and Sept. 25 in Philadelphia.

Investigators determined that the fire at the Levittown Train Station was caused when the train’s dynamic braking system became stuck in on mode. That action overheated the dynamic brake resistor banks and ignited a fiberglass ventilation duct on the car’s roof.

No one was injured in the fire at the Levittown Train Station, but SEPTA Regional Rail service was disrupted.

The NTSB concluded that the safety issues are rooted in the cars’ outdated design and SEPTA’s maintenance. It also found that SEPTA “failed to protect passengers and crews because defective railcars have been kept in passenger service.”

While the NTSB called for the Silverliner IV fleet to be suspended until the root causes of the fires are identified and addressed, Sauer said pulling the cars from service would reduce SEPTA’s schedule to Saturday service levels and 40 new safety measures are being put into place.

The new safety steps include implementing additional notifications, increased safety checks, audible alarms, in-person inspections, and real-time video monitoring.

“We can safely continue service with the Silverliner IV fleet,” said Sauer.

Sauer said the safety steps by SEPTA will make sure the older cars are safe. He noted there is a reduction in use of the cars.

The NTSB’s full recommendations included immediately suspending the Silverliner IV fleet, developing a plan to monitor the success of any risk-mitigation approach, and creating an expedited schedule to retrofit or replace the aging railcars. The agency stressed that the safety concerns cannot be fully fixed without a comprehensive retrofit or replacement of the fleet.