PHILADELPHIA, PA – Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman today joined federal, state, and local officials at the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby to announce a new $317 million dollar Rail Vehicle Replacement Program grant for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). This grant, which is administered by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is by far the largest award ever made under this grant program to any local transit authority and is also the largest federal award SEPTA has ever received.
Just last month, Sen. Fetterman led a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg calling for significant federal investment in SEPTA. The $317 million grant will fund the purchase of approximately 200 new rail cars on the Market-Frankford Line.
“This is a big deal,” said Senator Fetterman. “This is a big deal for SEPTA. It’s a big deal for Philadelphia and this region. And it’s a big deal for anyone that uses this kind of rail to get to where they work, where they go to school, or where they’re visiting. It’s an investment in infrastructure that matters and can change lives.”
In his remarks, Senator Fetterman shouted out Senator Bob Casey and President Joe Biden for helping deliver this investment. The funding comes from the DOT’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Fetterman was joined at today’s event by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown, SEPTA Board Vice Chair Ken Lawrence, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, SEPTA CEO & General Manager Leslie Richards, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, and U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon and Dwight Evans.