Exo Arrives In Philly

September 19, 2026 After months of waiting, and delays in transit, they have finally arrived in the Philadelphia area: the entire fleet of former Exo commuter coaches built by Bombardier. After cancellation of the CRRC multilevel car order, and a host of ever-growing issues involving the Silverliner IV fleet (from mechanical failures to several fires knocking half a dozen cars off the roster), SEPTA was in immediate need of additional equipment. In late 2026, ten leased MARC coaches arrived on the scene for at least a year-long stint on SEPTA yet again. But the Authority wanted something permanent, and in early 2026, made a deal to purchase the 24-car fleet of Bombardier "Comet" coaches from RTM of Montreal, which used them on their commuter services (branded "Exo") until sending them into storage in 2022. Built in 1989 (two years after SEPTA's original fleet), this Comet fleet consists of 24 cars (8 cab control coaches and 16 trailer coaches). They were rebuilt in 2011-2012, and ran in daily service until they were replaced by new bilevel equipment and stored in 2022. With this fleet acqusition, once in service, it will give SEPTA a fleet of 69 push-pull coaches totalling 18 cab control coaches and 51 trailer coaches, enough to provide trainsets for all 15 ACS-64's in the SEPTA fleet, and overall make an addition of eight trainsets for use on the system. The coaches finally departed RTM property in Montreal in late August. After several days in a CN yard, they were moved to another yard for interchange to CSX. A mechanical delay then kept them from crossing the border for several days, but in mid-September, the cars were on the move again, concluding with this video of CSX delivering the cars to their yard in Woodbourne, PA, where SEPTA locomotives will pick them up later for movement to their Frazer shops, where they will spend the next few months getting necessary work to prepare them for SEPTA service. Among the modifications needed will be to equip all the doorways with traps to allow boarding/detraining from high-level platforms, as the cars were equipped for low platforms only. The cab cars will receive PTC and cab signals. All cars will need all equipment labeling (as well as public signage inside) changed from French to English. The first cars are expected to be ready to enter SEPTA service by New Year's, 2027 (subject to change). But for now, here is the video of their long-anticipated arrival.