Another Look at the Silverliners

for train fans:

To celebrate Amtrak’s 3rd Annual National Train Day, SEPTA will exhibit one of the new Silverliner V trains at 30th Street Station during the Saturday, May 8, 2010 event. The two-car train will be on display on SEPTA’s Track 4 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Thousands of visitors will be able to get a sneak peak at the state-of-the art train featuring larger windows, wider aisles, an enhanced seating arrangement and the latest in climate control technology and video monitors for real-time broadcast information and advertisements. The cars also fully comply with American with Disabilities (ADA) requirements and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) passenger car strength and safety requirements.

National Train Day commemorates the final railroad tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways in 1869 resulting in the nation’s first transcontinental railway.

Train service in and around the Philadelphia region played a vital role in the development of commuter rail systems in the United States. Beginning with the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad in 1832, rail service has operated continually in the Philadelphia area.

SEPTA’s current fleet of trains includes 53 Silverliner II’s built in 1963 by the Budd Company and 20 Silverliner III’s built by St. Louis Car Company in 1967. Also servicing the Regional Rail system are 231 Silverliner IV’s built between 1974 and 1976 by General Electric.

Push-Pull Commuter trains built by Bombardier, 35 in 1987 and 10 between 1999 and 2000, round out SEPTA’s commuter rail service equipment.

Currently SEPTA Regional Rail service carries over 34 million passengers annually in the Philadelphia area, significantly reducing environmental pollutants from vehicles and roadway congestion. The arrival of the new Silverliner V Regional Rail train cars will usher in a new era of rail transportation in the Philadelphia region. The new Silverliner Vs, manufactured by Hyundai-Rotem are expected to be placed in service later this year. SEPTA has purchased a total of 120 new railcars.

For more information about the Silverliner V cars visit www.septa.org/service/rail/silverliner.html.