SEPTA No. 834 on the Warminster Line approaching Hatboro station.
(Dough4872, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
SILVERLINER V RAILCAR
The Silverliner V is an electric multiple unit railcar designed and built by Hyundai Rotem. It is used by Philadelphia's SEPTA Regional Rail and Denver, Colorado's Regional Transportation District. This is the fifth generation railcar in the Silverliner family of single level EMUs.
SEPTA Regional Rail
The cars feature expanded interiors and windows, additional entrances and screens used to display information about the service. They are all ADA compliant and meet Federal Railroad Administration safety requirements.
The cars were expected to arrive in 2005, but due to contract disputes, design delays, and a factory needing to be built in South Philadelphia, they did not arrive until 2010.
SEPTA ordered a total of 120 cars at a cost of $274 million; the first cars arrived in the United States on February 28, 2010 (five years overdue) from South Korea, where they were manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The cars were built in South Korea and final assembly took place in South Philadelphia. The cars entered revenue service on October 29, 2010, and all 120 were to be completed by the end of 2011. However, due to delays that were reportedly to last until mid-2012, SEPTA is owed millions in fines for the overdue equipment. SEPTA also closed off the very front row of seats due to safety concerns.
The last of the 120 cars arrived on property for testing in February 2013.
Cars 735, 736, 871 and 872 are owned by the state of Delaware. However, they are used systemwide for service, and are not restricted to use on services to Delaware only.
On July 2, 2016, SEPTA removed all 120 of its Silverliner V cars – a third of its fleet – from service due to fatigue cracks in the trucks, leading to reduced service system-wide. The agency received some of the trains back in September 2016; but subsequently withdrew 18 cars after an additional defect was identified – a “clearance issue” that led to occasional contact between old and new components. SEPTA announced that it could resume normal schedules on October 3 and would receive all trains by November 2016.
RTD No. 4028 on the A Line at Denver Airport station.
(Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
RTD Commuter Rail
In 2010 Denver's Regional Transportation District selected the Silverliner V for its new commuter rail line. A total of 66 cars were purchased in the married pair configuration for a total of $300 million. The first four cars were delivered to Denver on December 3, 2014, with service to start in 2016. As of 2020, Silverliner V trains are used on the RTD's A, B, G and N lines.
Differences between the RTD and SEPTA cars include support for only 25 kV 60 Hz AC electrification, two center opening high level doors per side, less powerful traction motors, full-width cabs, and bells.
Electromagnetic interference
Some users of audio equipment have found that the presence of tracks carrying Silverliner V cars have introduced detrimental electromagnetic interference to playback and recording of audio. This phenomenon also affects audio and PA electronics inside the cars, although Hyundai Rotem has fitted filters to lessen the effect on internal equipment.
Silverliner V Overview
In service: 2010-present (SEPTA); 2016-present (RTD)
Manufacturer: Hyundai Rotem
Built at: South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Family name: Silverliner
Replaced: 73 Silverliner II and Silverliner III's (SEPTA)
Constructed: 2009~2016
Entered service: 2010 (SEPTA), 2016 (RTD)
Number built Total: 186
Number built SEPTA: 120
Number built RTD: 66
Number in service: 186
Fleet numbers SEPTA: 701-738, 801-882
Fleet numbers RTD: 4001-4066
Capacity SEPTA: Single Car: 107, Married Pair Car: 109
Capacity RTD: 91 per car
Operators: SEPTA; Denver RTD
Lines served: SEPTA Regional Rail; Denver RTD Commuter Rail
Specifications
Car body construction: Stainless steel, non-corrugated due to molybdenum-free and titanium-containing
Car length: 85 ft 0 in (25.91 m)
Width: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Floor height: 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m)
Doors quarter point SEPTA: 3 per side, 2 with traps.
Doors quarter point RTD: 2 per side
Maximum speed
Design speed: 110 mph (180 km/h)
Operating speed: 110 mph (180 km/h)(SEPTA)
Operating speed: 79 mph (127 km/h)(RTD)
Weight: 146,600 lb (66,500 kg)
Traction system: Mitsubishi Electric IGBT–VVVF inverter
SEPTA: MAP-204-A12VD185
Traction motors: Mitsubishi Electric 3-phase AC induction motor
SEPTA: MB-5127-A
Acceleration: 3 mph/s (4.8 km/(h⋅s)) up to 30 mph (48 km/h)
Deceleration Service:
3 mph/s (4.8 km/(h⋅s)) up to 50 mph (80 km/h);
2 mph/s (3.2 km/(h⋅s)) @ 100 mph (160 km/h)
Emergency: 3.2 mph/s (5.1 km/(h⋅s))
Electric systems: Overhead catenary;
12 kV 25 Hz–12.5 kV 60 Hz AC (SEPTA nominal)
25 kV 60 Hz AC (SEPTA and RTD nominal)
Current collector: Pantograph
UIC classification: Bo′Bo′
AAR wheel arrangement: B-B
Trucks: Bolsterless, GSI 70
Braking systems: Pneumatic, one outboard disc, one tread per wheel; Dynamic/Regenerative
Coupling system: WABCO Model N-2
Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge