SEPTA buys 24 used rail cars for $8.5 million to add Regional Rail seating in early 2027

SEPTA will add 24 used passenger rail cars to its Regional Rail fleet beginning in early 2027, an acquisition intended to add seats while the agency plans a longer-term purchase of new trains.

The cars are 30 years old and were bought from Montreal's transit system for $8.5 million. SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer described the deal as a cost-effective way to expand service. "Well I wouldn't say it's better, I would say it's more. Today we are limited as to how many cars we can put out each day," Sauer said. He said the additional cars will give riders more room and help the agency accommodate more passengers.

SEPTA technicians will work at the agency's maintenance facility in Malvern, Chester County, to ready the cars for service in the Philadelphia region. The work includes changes to safety technology, batteries and lighting. New doors are required because station platform heights in the Philadelphia area differ from those in Montreal. French-language signs and labels inside the cars must also be replaced. Inside, some seats face sideways, handrails are larger and aisles are wider than on the cars riders currently use. Greg Buzby, SEPTA's chief officer of rail equipment, said the layout provides "more flexible space for people who may only be on the train for ten or fifteen minutes in some cases."

The cars will enter service one at a time starting in early 2027. Eight of the 24 are cab cars, which can lead a train. SEPTA now has 10 cars with that ability, and the added eight give the agency more options for operating trains across Regional Rail lines.

The purchase arrives as SEPTA maintains an aging Regional Rail fleet. The agency has more than 200 rail cars that are 50 years old, and it will soon start a process of ordering new trains to replace some of them. SEPTA officials said the $8.5 million purchase increases capacity in the meantime.