Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is purchasing 24 passenger rail cars from Exo, a public transport provider in the Montreal region, to support its Regional Rail fleet.
The agreement, valued at 8.58 million USD, was approved by Exo’s board in March. The vehicles are coach cars originally built by Bombardier in the late 1980s.
24 Bombardier Comets to be Added Thanks to Emergency State Funding
© SEPTA
Funding for the purchase comes from capital support allocated by Josh Shapiro in November 2025. The funding forms part of a wider package aimed at safety upgrades and infrastructure work across the network.
SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said:
We are grateful for Gov. Shapiro’s continued support of SEPTA, and we are committed to continuing to deliver improvements for our customers. These additional rail cars will help us enhance reliability and expand capacity for our customers while we work toward replacing our aging Regional Rail fleet.
The purchase follows a period of disruption linked to inspections and repairs required on SEPTA’s Silverliner IV trains, some of which are around 50 years old. These trains represent a large share of the Regional Rail fleet, and many were temporarily withdrawn from service during maintenance work last year. This led to reduced capacity and some cancelled services.
Although most of the Silverliner IV units have now returned to service, SEPTA has introduced an expanded maintenance programme. The agency is also exploring interim solutions to avoid further disruption while new trains are procured.
Earlier in 2026, SEPTA began using 10 leased rail cars from Maryland Area Regional Commuter to support operations.
The newly purchased cars from Exo will be used alongside SEPTA’s existing ACS-64 locomotive fleet. Before entering service, the vehicles will undergo modifications, including updates to door systems and other equipment to meet SEPTA requirements.
Transport arrangements for moving the rail cars from Montreal are currently being planned. SEPTA expects to confirm a timeline for their introduction into service later in the spring.