Cash-short SEPTA presses on with capital program: though strapped for operating funds, the agency is set to deliver $427 million worth of improvements to Philadelphia-area riders in FY '05

Railway Age, Oct, 2004 by William D. Middleton

Restoration of rail on Routes 23 and 56 is several years away, with $189 million in infrastructure improvements and $130 million in LRV projects included in the 2009-2016 capital program. SEPTA is beginning work on the last major sections of a comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization program for the Market-Frankford line that will cost an estimated $1.5 billion when completed in 2008. Work began in 2000 on a $567 million project to reconstruct its 100 year-old elevated portion, substituting single-center steel columns for double-column rows.

SEPTA's 13-route, 281 route-mile electrified regional rail system has completed a 10-year, $4.5 billion capital improvement program to rehabilitate badly deteriorated infrastructure, renovate stations, and expand parking. Next on the agenda is replacing substations, some of which are more than 70 years old. Also, engineering should begin soon on a three mile extension of the R3 line from Elwyn to a new terminal at Wawa.

SEPTA's most urgent regional rail need is replacing 73 Silverliner II and III electric multiple-unit cars, which range in age from 37 to 41 years, with 104 Silverliner V cars that also will accommodate ridership increases. The project stalled earlier this year after a planned award to United Transit Systems (a consortium led by Korea's Rotem) was protested by Kawasaki (RA, March, p. 21). Following a media firestorm, SEPTA cancelled the contract and is now reviewing its plans for the procurement. It expects to make an award sometime this winter.

For the future, SEPTA planners are focusing attention on improvements that will better meet the changing needs of transportation in its five-county region. While Center City employment remains strong, much of the new growth in business has been decentralized to major suburban nodes that are often ill served for traditional radial transit services. This shift has created new markets for suburb-to-suburb and reverse commuting.

SEPTA's highest priority new rail project is the proposed Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM), a 62 mile high speed line that would link downtown Philadelphia and the Reading area, providing service to the fast-developing population and employment centers in the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) and U.S. Route 422 corridors. To be developed jointly by SEPTA and the Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority (BARTA), the $2 billion SVM will use Norfolk Southern trackage alongside the Schuylkill River, extending westward from SEPTA's R6 line between Philadelphia and Norristown. It will employ such rapid transit elements as frequent service, high-level platforms, wide, subway style doors, proof-of-payment fare collection, and one-person operation.

Though the SVM received FFA approval for preliminary engineering, it has been given an FTA "not recommended" rating, based primarily upon the proposed 80% federal share of the project cost. FTA has asked for a revised plan that will consider com bining the SVM with SEPTA's Cross County Metro and Route 100 Extension projects. A task force convened by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Congressman Jim Gerlach will recommend an affordable approach to phasing, implementation, and funding late this year.