Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

[MetroShadow]

9 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

SEPTA  has awarded a contract to ENC through a $ 43 million FTA LOW- NO grant. They were named a partner of choice with SEPTA. The buses will be diesel-electric hybrids..Not sure how many buses will be ordered. The source of the  info is on the ENC website.

At $600,000 per bus (estimated), about 60-70

[Mr.Transit]

I think the only reason ENC won the contract is because New Flyer has a two year back log and Gillig won't do business with SEPTA...they need the buses asap to replace the 2010-2011 New Flyers still in service.

[Busjack]

4 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

I think the only reason ENC won the contract is because New Flyer has a two year back log and Gillig won't do business with SEPTA...they need the buses asap to replace the 2010-2011 New Flyers still in service.

Your guess turns out wrong. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer  and other sources,the buses from this grant are expected in 2028, so your asap point doesn't distinguish them from what you said about NF.

I also deleted my prior reply to @MetroShadow in light of this statement in the Inquirer: "Last week, SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered 30-foot buses with an equal number of cleaner diesel-electric hybrid buses that are 32 feet long." NF doesn't make 32' buses, and Pace ordered 35' Gilligs to replace 30' buses.  It looks like SEPTA  is paying more for a similar number of smaller buses.  According to cptdb, the 30' buses on the roster are MD30s  (4600-4634)  in contractor service.  Put these breadcrumbs together to try to figure out what's happening.

 

[Mr.Transit]

Ok, I forgot about the 30ft bus replacement. Also, SEPTA's GM Scott Sauer mentioned in an independent newspaper story ,that SEPTA hopes to get a new source of funding from the state to buy new BEB and fuel cell buses in two years. ENC is suppose to come out with a fuel model next year...SEPTA had a proposal on their procurement website for both 40th(BEB and fuel cell) and 60ft(BEB) buses...perhaps ENC may bid on the 40ft(BEB and fuel cell) contract and the fact that NFI will be bidding on both of them, Solaris would also....Solaris should be in business here in North America by then...Solaris may have submitted  a bid that SEPTA has for 50 trackless trolleys, which should awarded by the end of the year.

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[Busjack]

4 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

Ok, I forgot about the 30ft bus replacement. Also, SEPTA's GM Scott Sauer mentioned in an independent newspaper story ,that SEPTA hopes to get a new source of funding from the state to buy new BEB and fuel cell buses in two years. ENC is suppose to come out with a fuel model next year...SEPTA had a proposal on their procurement website for both 40th(BEB and fuel cell) and 60ft(BEB) buses...perhaps ENC may bid on the 40ft(BEB and fuel cell) contract and the fact that NFI will be bidding on both of them, Solaris would also....Solaris should be in business here in North America by then...Solaris may have submitted  a bid that SEPTA has for 50 trackless trolleys, which should awarded by the end of the year.

 

You seem  to be putting the cart before the horse.You don't link to the   "independent  newspaper," but the SEPTA  ZEB page says 

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Due to capital funding constraints, we have paused purchases of new ZEB pilot technology like battery electric buses. We are currently focusing our resources on maintaining core service while gathering real-world data from our active hydrogen fuel cell electric bus pilot.

So, other than the pilot, SEPTA is putting such purchases on hold, and that page says SEPTA will "[s]trive towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050." Compare that to the 2040 date in most other plans.

As far as the current availability of funds, WHYY reported that SEPTA   had to use capital funds to avert fiscal cliff cuts, so it doesn't have any money for the procuremements you envisioned.

Given these facts on the ground, any speculation about what manufacturers are going to respond in maybe 2036 is just that. The only way Philly had the money for this rather modest purchase is this No-Low grant. And since SEPTA claim all the rest of its buses are hybrids, it isn't eligible for any more of this type of grant. 

[Mr.Transit]

My prediction is that the state legislators will pass mass funding for transit projects in Pa,, because the Democrats will control both branches of the legislature.i

n the next election cycle..therefore SEPTA will be able to buy the new buses.

 

[Busjack]

23 minutes ago, Mr.Transit said:

My prediction is that the state legislators will pass mass funding for transit projects in Pa,, because the Democrats will control both branches of the legislature.i

n the next election cycle..therefore SEPTA will be able to buy the new buses.

 

Well, the PA legislature certainly didn't get the job done in 2025

 What political expertise do you have to predict an election in another state? Tell us.  Also tell us why we in the Chicago area should care.

[Mr.Transit]

The Pa legislature is divided by 1 single vote...the Senate have it...also the state is heavily Democratic...I think you may agree with me that they could have a heavy turnout and vote for the Democratic candidates the next election..the rural areas of the state could care less about mass transit, but the proposed legislation does fund roads and bridges.

I see that many major transit agencies have funding problems, which the CTA also may have...so the point I'm trying to make is that under funding for SEPTA isn't a unique occurrence.

 

 

 

 

 

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

The Pa legislature is divided by 1 single vote...the Senate have it...also the state is heavily Democratic...I think you may agree with me that they could have a heavy turnout and vote for the Democratic candidates the next election..the rural areas of the state could care less about mass transit, but the proposed legislation does fund roads and bridges.

I see that many major transit agencies have funding problems, which the CTA also may have...so the point I'm trying to make is that under funding for SEPTA isn't a unique occurrence.

• There were two questions. You didn't answer either one. Try again.
• Now you brought up CTA The Illinois General Assembly addresses the issue in 2025. The Pennsylvania legislature did noit address SEPTA or Pittsburg in 2025.
• The majority of your posts, such as that SEPTA had to address 2010 diesels, have been false. The only one that had any support was that Rivaz posted that it received a SEPTA contract, Unless you demonstrate that you did your research and know what you are posting, you're just polluting the Internet.

[Mr.Transit]

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GM Scott Sauer mentioned at a press conference on SEPTA's capitol programs moving forward, he said they have to keep older buses (which is true)running until they get their funding straighten out...so that answers the question about them I already mentioned.

You seem to be fixated on getting the precise info on a topic...what's the difference if Scott Sauer gives this info at the state capitol, or says some thing along the same line at the podium at SEPTA"S headquarter...common sense will tell you he saying the thing.

[Busjack]

14 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

GM Scott Sauer mentioned at a press conference on SEPTA's capitol programs moving forward, he said they have to keep older buses (which is true)running until they get their funding straighten out...so that answers the question about them I already mentioned.

You seem to be fixated on getting the precise info on a topic...what's the difference if Scott Sauer gives this info at the state capitol, or says some thing along the same line at the podium at SEPTA"S headquarter...common sense will tell you he saying the thing.

You don't give any link for this "press conference" or why anyone should believe your account.

And if he said it, it contradicts what's on the official SEPTA site, to which  I linked. That does answer your last question.

And the SEPTA manager can say about as much about what the Pennsylvania legislature will do as Dorval Carter could say about what the Illinois legislature would do. I bet Carter didn't bet on the ILGA deposing the CT Board.

Finally, you don't know the difference between capitOl and capitAl.

Nor have you explained why anyone in Chicago should care.

 

 

[Mr.Transit]

No one in Chicago should care about what happens to SEPTA...the point once again is that some transit agencies in North America struggle with getting a constant source of funding...I  wasn't singularizing out the CTA in particular.

The bottom line once and again is  that SEPTA needs a steady source of funding after the next election..end of story.

[MetroShadow]

Because the Silverliner IV's are showing their age (and a bullseye from this administration), the agency is proceeding to buy Montreal's cars...(although I wished EXO kept the MD-90's a little longer)...

[Busjack]

8 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

Because the Silverliner IV's are showing their age (and a bullseye from this administration), the agency is proceeding to buy Montreal's cars...(although I wished EXO kept the MD-90's a little longer)...

The article makes it sound like SEPTA is in a desperate state. They aren't getting  new (2026) cars, and the reference to MARC might mean they are also getting 70 year old ex-Metra cars.

[MetroShadow]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

The article makes it sound like SEPTA is in a desperate state. They aren't getting  new (2026) cars, and the reference to MARC might mean they are also getting 70 year old ex-Metra cars.

After the funding nonsense, yes. And so far, the MARC cars are the single-levels (and not our clunkers).

[Mr.Transit]

SEPTA has a proposal for 234 new Silverline VI rail cars, with two options for 46...the info is on their procurement website.

[MetroShadow]

17 hours ago, Mr.Transit said:

SEPTA has a proposal for 234 new Silverline VI rail cars, with two options for 46...the info is on their procurement website.

I get why the agency wants single-level cars, to a degree, but the specs won't be helpful. This is a good overview.

[Busjack]

9 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

I get why the agency wants single-level cars, to a degree, but the specs won't be helpful. This is a good overview.

To bring this back to the local level, the South Shore has 2-cab cars, 1-cab cars, unpowered trailers, its own gallery cars with one low step door, and rented Metra gallery cars without that door.  I wonder what operational problems this causes, such as moving around and recoupling trailers, and apparently needing mixed consists of 300s and 1200s to have the door to .a low platform.

I suppose this author would also question the CTA's use of married pair cars, considering that only the Yellow Line uses  2-car consists, but while the Brown and Orange Lines only use 8-car sets, I don't see CTA ordering 8-car 9000s.