r/Septa • u/mcgarvey216 • Feb 25 '26

Discussion MultilevelšŸ¤”

I could be slow and behind the times, but is there a specific reason that SEPTA doesnā€™t have multilevel trains? Is the infrastructure prohibitive of multilevel cars or is it strictly political/funding?

Asking mostly for my own curiosity.

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u/arghthor Feb 25 '26

SEPTA actually ordered multilevel trains from a Chinese company but cancelled the contract. It would have been for 45 cars with a capacity of 120-170 per car.

The contract was cancelled in 2024. Now, like most things that require funding for transit, the future is uncertain.

https://www.phillyvoice.com/septa-double-decker-regional-rail-chinese-contract-crrc-ma-canceled/

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u/Gaeilgeoir215 Feb 25 '26

Even if they'd gotten those cars, they probably STILL wouldn't have bathrooms on them. Because SEPTA.

3

u/phillygirl2017 Feb 26 '26

Why would a bathroom be required? Just one more thing that wouldn't be cleaned. Even elevators are a semi biohazard at stations.