Governor Josh Shapiro headed the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll on Monday will commit $219.9 million in additional capital to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to support urgent safety and infrastructure improvements.
Consistent with recent Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) orders, the Shapiro Administration’s actions will ensure that SEPTA can comply with federal orders, expedite necessary repairs, and provide protected and reliable service to the nearly 800,000 Pennsylvanians who apply SEPTA every day.
“Nearly 800,000 Pennsylvanians rely on SEPTA every day – to safely and reliably get to school, work, medical appointments and anywhere else,” Shapiro said. “ Mass transit is absolutely critical to our Commonwealth’s economy, our communities and the everyday lives of Pennsylvanians.
“My administration is once again increasing efforts to provide SEPTA with the funds it needs to complete critical repairs, meet federal safety requirements, and restore full service – but we need a long-term solution. I will continue to fight for additional permanent funding for mass transit in Harrisburg so that we can invest in mass transit systems, including SEPTA, across the Commonwealth.”
PennDOT’s additional $219.9 million in capital financing will enable SEPTA to accelerate critical safety improvements, comply with FRA and FTA orders, and maintain reliable passenger service throughout the region. Key investments include:
Regional rail fleet upgrades – $95 million
- Improvements to Silverliner IV safety and electrical systems
- Propulsion, electrical and reliability upgrades to Silverliner V
Railcar leasing and purchase – $17 million
- Rent 10 rail cars from MARC (Washington – Baltimore region)
- Continued purchase of 20 railcars from the Exo system in Montreal
Metro fleet modernization – $8 million
- Renovations of traction engines of metro rolling stock
- Door drive upgrades to ensure protected and reliable operation
Modernization of utility fleet and energy infrastructure – $48.4 million
- Replacing aging overhead catenary wires on SEPTA’s trolleybus and rail networks
- Purchase of recent equipment enabling more effective inspections and maintenance of trolleybus infrastructure
Other safety-critical infrastructure investments – $51.5 million
- Upgrading 13 escalators at SEPTA stations
- Buy advanced control technology
- Implement security improvements to the SEPTA Control Center to ensure continuity of operations
These investments will allow SEPTA to fully comply with federal safety orders, expedite repairs to the Silverliner IV and trolleys, and maintain reliable service to residents and visitors.
“These funds will make a significant difference in our efforts to overcome the current crisis and prevent further problems,” said SEPTA CEO Scott Sauer. “With this new capital, we can support initiatives that will improve service across the system. This money will go toward projects that can get started quickly and will improve the safety and reliability of our passengers. Thanks to the dedication of our employees who are working around the clock, we are already returning up to five railcars a day to service. We expect to be near full strength by mid-December, and this new funding will help us stay on track as we strengthen our preventive maintenance and vehicle overhaul efforts.”
“Once again, Governor Shapiro is stepping in to ensure Philadelphia and counties including Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Bucks have access to safe and reliable public transportation,” said Senate Democratic Appropriations Chairman Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia). “The State Senate has had the opportunity to pass a long-term, sustainable solution to public transportation funding five times, and each time Republican senators have blocked us from making it happen. Now, the Republican-led federal government is sounding the alarm on SEPTA’s need for safety and infrastructure improvements, and State Senate Republicans continue to choose nothing. I am grateful that Governor Shapiro is taking action to end service delays and disruptions. I will continue to implore my colleagues colleagues in the Senate to work with Democrats to enact a funding plan that will ensure our buses, trains and trolleys can operate fully and safely for people who apply public transportation.”
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) in her statement, chose to emphasize Senate Republicans’ support for a mighty and tough transportation network in all regions of Pennsylvania.
“In August, Senate Republicans released significant funding for transportation investments using existing and unused taxpayer dollars from the Public Transportation Trust Fund (PTTF). There is value in supporting both road and transit projects, so we took a significant step to free up those dollars to help all 67 counties across Pennsylvania. At the time, our common-sense solution was rejected by Democrats and Governor Shapiro in an attempt to score cheap political points.”
“We have consistently recognized the value of transit while making clear that taxpayer investments must include reasonable accountability measures. State taxpayers already invest more than $1.5 billion annually in mass transit programs across the state, and until our members disclosed the whopping $2.4 billion in unused funds held in the PTTF, these resources remained on the couch of the PennDOT bureaucracy. It was only our transparency efforts shed lightweight on the massive fund balance that the governor’s hand was lifted. forced to finally make these resources available for their intended purpose. I am pleased that the Governor continues to take our advice and apply existing resources to support public transportation. It is unfortunate that just a year ago he took $153 million from critical infrastructure projects to fund transportation, while neglecting the needs of the people who apply our roads every day.
Pennsylvania is preparing to welcome millions of visitors in 2026 for America 250, NCAA March Madness, the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game.
