SEPTA Light Rail Fleet

SEPTA’s Light rail system consists of :Subway Surface Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36;  Suburban Light Rail Route 101 and 102 , and Girard Avenue Route 15 . Operating out of two divisions(2) of SEPTA, The City transit division and the Suburban Transit division.

Subway Surface lines (10, 11, 13, 34, 36) (Photo Gallery)

  The SEPTA Kawasaki S/E fleet was built in Japan and was shipped over to Pennsylvania to complete the manufacturing of the units in 1981. These cars have similar interior configuration to the 40-50 year old PCC fleet that they replaced. The S/E cars were assigned to the city transit division at the Elmwood Depot with original use out of what remained of the old Woodland Car barn. None of these cars are equipped with a wheelchair lift; however, they are still running rather strong in the fleet with the whole order of 112 cars running.

In 2025, these lines will be rebranded in the “T” series.

T1 will be the 10,
T2 will be the 34
T3 will be the 13
T4 will be the 11
T5 will be the 36
1980 Kawasaki Interior #9080

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  • In 2024, Car 9000 was re-schemed in it’s original scheme to honor SEPTA’s heritage

Fleet

YearManufacturerModelFleet
1980KawasakiSingle End#9000
1981KawasakiSingle End#9001-9111
2028**Alstom Transportation, Inc.Citadis

Media-Sharon Lines (101 & 102)

 The SEPTA Kawasaki D/E was built in Japan and was shipped over to Pennsylvania to complete the manufacturing of the units in 1981. The D/E cars were assigned to the Suburban Transit Division in the EL Shops. None of these cars feature a wheelchair lift. However they are still running rather strong in the fleet with the whole order of 29 cars running.


Click here for more pictures

Fleet

YearManufacturerModelFleet
1980KawasakiDouble Ended#100
1981KawasakiDouble Ended#101-128
2028**Alstom Transportation, Inc.Citadis

Girard Avenue Line (15)

The Girard Avenue Line, also known as SEPTA Route 15, is an 8.4-mile-long trolley line that provides essential crosstown service through West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and Port Richmond. Initially opened in 1859 as a horsecar line, it was electrified in 1895. The route begins at the Haddington Loop at 63rd Street, traveling along Girard Avenue and crossing significant landmarks such as the Philadelphia Zoo and Girard College. Over the years, the line has seen several changes, including temporary bustitution in the 1990s and recent renovations to its tracks and infrastructure​ due to the I-95 project. In June 2024, the route 15 has been restored back to a limited trolley operation. With the SEPTA Metro project, this line is set to be rebranded as the G1.

  • Cars remanufactured between 2002 and 2004 and have been re-designated PCC II. In 2020, these cars were withdrawn from service due to inspection issues and construction on the line, these were rehab once again and are now knowned as the PCC III.
  • Remanufactured and modernized by the Brookville Mining Equipment Company of Brookville, Pennsylvania.
  • Keipe Electric of Europe built new electrical supplies for the cars.
  • Brand new trucks based on the PCC B3 design have been installed on these cars.
  • These cars are now wheelchair accessible and air-conditioned.
  • SEPTA saved money by using the stainless steel seat frames from their retired Volvo B10M articulated buses.
  • Cars 2320-2325, 2327-2328, 2330-2331, 2333-2334, 2336-2337 were rebuilt from 1947 2700 series cars. Cars 2326, 2329, 2332, 2335 were rebuilt from 1948-49 2100s series cars.
  • These trollies have been retrofitted from their old roll signs to LED Twinvision signs.

Fleet

YearManufacturerModelFleet
1947-48Saint Louis Car / BrookvillePCC III#2320-2337

Contributers: Brandon Shaw, Daryl Jackson, Joe Butler