TTC boss frustrated by yet another streetcar delivery delay
Promise of 4 new vehicles per month will not be met, CEO says
The Toronto Transit Commission is in the business of trying to avoid delays, but this one appears to be out of their control.
- TTC faces $34M bill to keep old streetcars rolling
- TTC to sue Bombardier over delayed streetcars
- Terminating Bombardier streetcar contract on the table
The TTC said they will not receive the delivery of four streetcars per month that they were promised in March by Bombardier, according to chief executive officer Andy Byford.
The head of the transit agency said he told the company's new CEO that he outlined the TTC's "complete frustration and dissatisfaction with Bombardier's current performance" in his monthly staff report, which is now available online.
"I am unable to confirm a delivery schedule, but it is evident that Bombardier will not hit the four vehicles per month that we were promised as recently as last month," he said.
$34M bill awaits
Byford noted 17 new vehicles were now in service, which is one more than last month, but still a far cry from the 55 that Bombardier previously vowed to deliver to the TTC by the end of 2015.
Last October, Bombardier assured the TTC that they would have 23 new streetcars by the end of 2015, which never came to fruition. This promise came after TTC chair Josh Colle said Bombardier failed to meet a previous deadline to have 60 vehicles delivered six months ago.
In 2009, the TTC paid Bombardier more than $1 billion for 204 state-of-the-art streetcars. Since then, the TTC board has announced they were going to sue the Canadian company for missing delivery deadlines.
- TTC may sue Bombardier over mounting streetcar delays
- Bombardier gave multiple reasons streetcars are late
- TTC boss 'not happy' about new streetcar delivery delays
It's expected that the TTC will go after Bombardier for around $50 million through legal action, but Byford has previously said he would prefer to have the streetcars over the money.
"We've received schedule after schedule, we've been given assurance after assurance," Byford told reporters last fall. "I want the streetcars."
Just last month, Byford said the TTC is facing a $34 million bill to keep old streetcars in operation in an effort to maintain service. The agency is hoping to recoup some of that money from Bombardier through the court system.
Bombardier's Thunder Bay plant is responsible for production of the mass transportation vehicles.
