Topic summary

Silverliner IV

The Silverliner IV is the fourth-generation electric multiple unit railcar in the Silverliner family. It was designed and built by General Electric and was delivered between 1973 and 1976. It operates on the SEPTA Regional Rail network throughout Greater Philadelphia.

The 232-car Silverliner IV order was the largest order in the Silverliner series at the time. It allowed for the retirement of most of the Reading electric multiple units and PRR MP54 cars, many of which dated from the 1900s through the 1920s. More than four times as numerous as the previous Silverliner cars combined, the Silverliner IV became SEPTA's most common passenger railcar upon entering service in the mid-1970s. Like the Silverliner II and III cars, the IV cars were owned by SEPTA and provided to the private railroads for use in their state-supported commuter rail operations until SEPTA assumed direct operation in 1983.