Today, the SEPTA board has voted to award Hitachi Rail STS USA, Inc. a contract to replace their old Market-Frankford Line M4 [L] railcars. The order as it stands now is 200 new railcars with an option for 40 more, costing $724.3 million. They’ll start arriving in 2029 and should all be here by 2031. Not only are these new cars more accessible, have more capacity, and be more reliable, they will be open gangway and with Longitudinal seating. Which is a departure from the current M4s. Hitachi Rail will assemble them in Maryland, creating jobs in Philly and beyond. What kicked started their replacement was the fact that the M4 cars aren’t as reliable anymore. Over the years, the M4s has been plagued with issues ranging from Mechinical issues to rust and cracks found in the frames (1)
These photos were shared by SEPTA social on social media account
