SEPTA Strike Effects Compounded By Rail Fire

While most services have been shut down since 3 AM yesterday morning, as SEPTA's largest union walked out after the Phillies left for New York, for either victory or defeat, SEPTA regional rail was still running. However, a fire in the first car of an inbound Paoli R5 Regional Rail train near Overbrook station in West Philadelphia put that to a halt.

The fire occurred on Wednesday morning. It caused service interruptions on regional rail, further inconveniencing those already hampered by the SEPTA strike. A picture of a regional rail train is linked above.

While no injuries were reported, the train was reportedly packed with commuters using regional rail instead of other modes of transport. The cause of the blaze is currently unknown, but it was possibly an electrical fire, said a SEPTA spokesperson.

Transport Workers Union Local 234 all but crippled SEPTA, which averages more than 928,000 trips each weekday, by calling a 3 AM strike early Tuesday morning. The union had promised not to strike while the World Series continued, but even though the Series continues, it's moved to New York for the duration. Thus, effectively, the union kept its promise.

At the heart of the negotiations on a new contract over are disagreements on wage, pension and health care issues. Regional rail service is still operating because their workers are represented by a different union, but trains have been delayed as they experienced larger-than-normal crowds.

To this point, most commuters are decidedly in the court of SEPTA, as opposed to the union. The middle- and lower-income commuters are the ones most affected, according to an NPR audio report on Tuesday night, and they are most angry.

The World Series continues in New York. Win or lose for the Phillies, commuters in Philadelphia feel they are losers, for certain.