Robert P. Casey Jr.
SEPTA gets federal funding for emergency communications upgrade
January 10, 2008
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal
SEPTA will receive $656,600 in federal funds for a communications network that will enable it to communicate with police and emergency response teams in the five-county region that now operate on various communications systems, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Wednesday.
The interoperable communications network will be rolled out in two phases, the first of which will enable SEPTA to directly communicate with Philadelphia police, fire and emergency services personnel. Currently, when an incident occurs, Philadelphia police must make a second broadcast on another radio band to alert SEPTA police or either call SEPTA police directly.
The second phase will provide those capabilities between SEPTA police and police and emergency personnel elsewhere in the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery), Casey said.
Casey secured the $656,600 in funds as part of the transportation spending bill signed into law Dec. 26.
