WASHINGTON — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train that caught fire on Feb. 6, 2025, had been inspected earlier in the day because of sluggish performance, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the incident released today (March 5, 2025),
About 325 passengers and four crew members were safely evacuated from the six-car electric multiple-unit trainset after its lead car caught fire as it departed Crum Lynne station in Ridley Park, Pa., shortly before 6 p.m. [see “Fire engulfs SEPTA railcar …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 6, 2025]. No one was injured, but the fire caused an estimated $10 million damage.
The engineer operating the train at about 3:50 p.m. reported difficulty in getting the train up to speed, and said a fault light was on. A mechanical team inspected the train and, about 4:31 p.m., reported to SEPTA’s control center that three cars were “bad,” but the train remained in service.
After a crew change shortly before 5 p.m., while the train was still at 30th Street Station, the new engineer reported a strong burning smell in the rail car, but the train continued to operate. As the train later departed Crum Lynne station, the engineer saw smoke behind the lead car, stopped the train, and upon exiting to inspect the train, reported the car was on fire at about 5:56 p.m. Evacuation of the train was completed by 6:22 p.m., with the fire extinguished about 8:09 p.m.
The report indicates the ongoing investigation will focus on identifying the source of the fire; inspecting the railcars’ wiring; evaluating SEPTA inspection, maintenance, and repair processes; and consider the Regional Rail Operations Control Center’s response to en-route train failures.
Apparently the fire spread allowed them the 26 minutes to evacuate. Given 325 passengers they probably needed every minute. I assume SEPTA crews have evacuation training in case of fire but you never know how’s it going to go in a fire emergency until you experience one.