The SEPTA Board has approved the lease of eight rail cars from NJ Transit to ease overcrowding of the Regional Rail system that has resulted primarily from an influx of riders due to high gasoline prices.

The eight used cars, which have no independent propulsion, will be used on seven SEPTA trains that are propelled by electric locomotives. Schedule adjustments will be made for these trains to carry additional customers and permit further flexibility of system-wide rider capacity.

“This is a new challenge we are happy to face,” said SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey. “Since January we have acquired almost three million new riders on the Regional Rail system. The acquisition of these additional rail cars, plus other measures to increase capacity, should provide seats for our customers until our brand new cars begin arriving next year,” he said.

SEPTA has ordered 120 new regional rail cars from Rotem USA, the first of which will begin arriving in late 2009. This is the first order of new SEPTA rail cars in about 40 years.

The eight NJ Transit cars will be leased for two years at a monthly cost of $10,000 or $1,250 per car.