Federal Safety Board Wants Railcars Shelved

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Federal transportation officials want Philadelphia’s mass transit agency to shelve an electric railcar model that’s heavily used in its regional rail fleet until it figures out how to stop them from catching fire. The recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board came this week after it investigated five fires this year involving aging Silverliner IV passenger railcars. The NTSB says the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority should fast-track replacement of the cars or retrofit them to meet modern safety standards. All five fires forced evacuations and a few minor injuries were reported. The transit agency also known as SEPTA didn’t immediately respond to questions about the recommendations.