Perhaps it is the holiday season. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has found another $220 million to give to SEPTA. The money will allow SEPTA to fix the subway surface car tunnel and cars, rent more rail cars, repair the ones that can be repaired, and make other improvements. The money is on top of the $394 million PennDOT allowed SEPTA to tap in state funds allocated for future capital projects for two years of operating expenses. To date, SEPTA has received $614 million since the day its board said there was no more money and that it would have to raise fares and cut 45% of service.
The money came without a single Republican vote. In fact, despite SEPTA, editorial boards, and others claiming that Republicans in Harrisburg were forcing the cuts and fare hikes, Shapiro controlled this money by himself. Had he wanted to avoid the cuts and fare hikes, he could have released it in August.
“When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.” It is an African Proverb that may explain how the riders have lost service, suffered, and paid more. Shapiro tried to force the Republicans in Harrisburg to vote the way he wanted. His strategy was in line with President Donald Trump’s strategy of withholding SNAP dollars from needy families in an effort to force Democrats to vote the way he wanted. An objective analysis would show that the only difference was what was being withheld.
Shapiro put out a press release quoting various people thanking him, and wrote that the money will be for:
- Upgrades to the Regional Rail Fleet — $95 million
- Enhancements to Silverliner IV safety and electrical systems
- Upgrades to Silverliner V propulsion, electrical systems, and reliability
- Railcar Leasing & Procurement — $17 million
- Lease 10 railcars from MARC (Washington–Baltimore region)
- Pursue the purchase of 20 railcars from Montréal’s Exo system
- Metro Fleet Upgrades — $8 million
- Overhauls of metro fleet traction motors
- Door operator upgrades to ensure safe, reliable service
- Utility Fleet & Power Infrastructure Upgrades — $48.4 million
- Replacement of aging overhead catenary wires across SEPTA’s trolley and rail networks
- Purchase of new equipment to allow for more efficient inspections and maintenance of trolley infrastructure
- Other Safety-Critical Infrastructure Investments — $51.5 million
- Upgrade of 13 escalators at SEPTA stations
- Purchase advanced inspection technology
- Implement safety improvements at SEPTA’s Control Center to ensure continuity of operations
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These investments will allow SEPTA to comply fully with federal safety orders, accelerate Silverliner IV and trolley repairs, and maintain reliable service for residents and visitors. The public that attended SEPTA’s monthly board meeting was not told any of this. The board and SEPTA’s General Manager Scott Sauer continued their story that SEPTA didn’t have the money it needed to operate the system.
The board meeting did disclose a few things:
The change in the board’s makeup, with more Democratic than Republican appointments, has led to significant changes in who manages SEPTA’s Pension Plan. This month, the SEPTA board awarded a contract to Warrant Equity Partners as the investment manager of SEPTA’s Pension Plan.
The public also saw the SEPTA board, as it does almost every month, award millions in no-bid contracts.
The general manager announced that SEPTA would, after years of delay, accept bids for new rail cars. He announced that it would likely take six years and cost more, but SEPTA has finally decided to use the financing that has existed, which it could have used in past years, to end the suffering of regional rail riders.
The treasurer reported labor expenses were $3 million under budget due to 526 unfilled positions. The number was not broken down, so the public does not know how many unfilled positions are for bus or subway operators and how many are for top managers.
The report of rider revenues appeared to be good news. It was 4.6% above budget. SEPTA brought in $1.2 million more than it projected. But that is only because the numbers were not broken down.
The report failed to state how many riders SEPTA lost due to the combined 30% fare increase. It failed to list how many trips had been canceled, the average wait time, and why SEPTA’s app failed to provide accurate information. It failed to report whether the ridership projection was made using the 45% cuts the board originally approved. Nor did the treasurer explain why, if fares went up by 30%, rider revenue was only 4.6% above the projection.
When I asked the board to compare how many riders there were using the system in October of 2024, before the beginning of the fare hikes, and how many riders it had in October of 2025, the board president ordered SEPTA’s staff not to answer because SEPTA was involved in a lawsuit regarding its fares.
The only way to know the impact of the largest one-year fare increase in SEPTA’s history — at 30% — is that comparison.
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