Bombardier meets revised Toronto streetcar delivery deadline

TORONTO—Bombardier Inc. delivered its 30th new streetcar to the Toronto Transit Commission Dec. 21, ending its tumultuous 2016 relationship with one of several Toronto transit operators on a high note.

Though the delivery schedule had been revised several times, making the target significantly easier to hit, the company marked the occasion by Tweeting a photo of workers delivering the streetcar to the TTC Wednesday.

Today, our employees delivered a 30th streetcar to the Toronto Transit Commission, meeting the delivery commitment made to #TTC for 2016. pic.twitter.com/lVvOFutLBx

— BombardierRail (@BombardierRail) December 21, 2016

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Under the original schedule, 73 of the new transit vehicles should have been circuiting Toronto’s streets by the end of the year, forcing the TTC to maintain a number of legacy vehicles previously slated for retirement.

Tensions between the two parties rose last fall, culminating in a TTC lawsuit against Bombardier. The Montreal-based plane and train maker shifted some production production to Kingston, Ont. earlier this year to help alleviate pressure on its Thunder Bay, Ont. facility and speed up deliveries.

The slow shipments have remained a sore subject in the GTHA, however, where provincial transit agency Metrolinx has also contracted Bombardier to build new GO Trains and vehicles for the Eglinton Crosstown light rail project. After Bombardier missed a delivery deadline for an LRT test vehicle this fall, Metrolinx filed notice to cancel the contract, firing a warning shot across the company’s bow.

In September Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare said the company remains wholly committed to the rail projects.

Despite the trouble in Ontario, Vancouver-area transit operator Translink also recently placed another bet on Bombardier, signing a $93 million deal for 28 new vehicle’s for the city’s SkyTrain.