The SEPTA board of
directors on Dec. 16 authorized a $3.5 million contract with STV Inc. to act
as project manager for the resumption of streetcar service on Route 15-Girard,
which was converted from PCC operation to buses in September 1992. Our
correspondent in the region reports that 12 new low floor LRVs have still not
been purchased, a procurement that has been cooking for the past year or so.
They will apparently be the start of ADA compliance on the subway/surface
lines, which now are totally non-accessible for wheelchairs. (Conversion of
the Kawasaki fleet, which currently operates those five lines, is not
feasible.) The Kawasakis that would be freed up by the low floor vehicles are
to be used on Girard. An interview with General Manager Jack Leary on Oct. 27
indicated that an announcement regarding a contract for the 12 cars could be
made within 90 days.
