Silverliner V rail car

From Yenra

Announced September 10, 2008, SEPTA has received a mock-up of its new commuter rail car, the Silverliner V. The mock-up was built to help engineers in the design and manufacturing process for the fleet of commuter rail cars ordered by SEPTA from United Transit Systems, a consortium of Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and Sojitz Corporation of America. Scheduled to begin delivery next year, the new rail cars will help SEPTA provide an improved, more comfortable experience for riders by incorporating advanced elements into the design and adding much-needed capacity to accommodate SEPTA's ever-growing ridership.

Final assembly of the new rail cars will be completed by Hyundai Rotem USA at its facility in South Philadelphia. To build the fleet, the company has announced plans to create hundreds of jobs at the site. In addition to Hyundai Rotem USA, dozens of companies throughout Greater Philadelphia, as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware were awarded manufacturing contracts to build parts of the rail cars.

Local companies will supply parts such as the HVAC systems, gear units, propulsion systems and door systems, infusing important dollars into the economy.

The fleet of 120 Silverliner V rail cars is being specially designed to meet the needs of the SEPTA system and its ridership, so careful planning, analysis and testing are essential to the success of the project.

While specific design features are still being finalized, the completed Silverliner V rail cars will provide a new experience for riders through a number of features designed with specific goals in mind.

• Capacity: The 85 foot-long Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) self-propelled passenger car can hold up to 108 seated passengers, including two wheelchair spaces on each car in compliance with passenger accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Comfort: The new rail cars will be equipped with features such as a fully automatic year-round climate control system, contoured passenger seating and non-glare interior lighting to provide a new level of comfort for passengers.
• Ease-of-use: The Silverliner V design also features doorways located in the middle of each car to improve passenger flow, as well as electronic destination signage and announcement system to more clearly communicate stops to riders.
• Advanced Technology: A key technical element of the rail car includes an efficient AC Propulsion System with a traction motor to regenerate electricity during braking, thus saving energy.

SEPTA expects the Silverliner V pilot car to arrive in Philadelphia in the spring, when SEPTA engineers will thoroughly inspect and test the car. Once approved, manufacturing of the remainder of the fleet will commence.