WASHINGTON — A technician who was repositioning a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley at a maintenance facility was unaware its brakes had been disabled to allow for repairs when the vehicle ran away, derailed, and struck an SUV and a historic building in Philadelphia on July 27, according to the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report.
Three people suffered minor injuries: the technician, who jumped from the trolley prior to the derailment, and two people in the SUV. Damage to the light rail vehicle was estimated at $500,000, while the Blue Bell Inn — a structure dating to 1766 — sustained an estimated $300,000 damage [see “Three injured as SEPTA trolley derails …,” Trains News Wire, July 28, 2023]. A resident of the inn was not injured.
The report indicates trolley 9107 (a Kawasaki car built in 1981) was undergoing an air compressor replacement at SEPTA’s Elmwood maintenance facility; this work rendered the air brakes inoperable. Shortly before the incident, a technician was told by a supervisor to move the car for storage; that technician told NTSB investigators he had no indication, such as a tag or note, that the brakes did not work. He moved the car under its own power, but was unable to stop, and it continued on a downgrade along Island Avenue until it derailed at the intersection of Island and Woodland avenues at about 20 mph. There, it struck the SUV and continued into the building.
The ongoing NTSB investigation will focus on SEPTA repair and maintenance practices, including pre-movement procedures and maintenance personnel training and supervision, as well as railroad oversight.
The derailment was one of five incidents involving SEPTA trolleys and buses in a single week in July, leading the Federal Transit Administration to look into the agency’s safety practices [see “FTA involved in investigation …,” News Wire, Aug. 3, 2023]. SEPTA has responded to the rash of problems by ordering mandatory safety retraining for all employees, a process that began Aug. 14 and will continue over an eight-week period. The agency cautions riders to expect delays across its system as 10% of employees are pulled from their regular duties.
Share this article
