Bombardier ready to ship Waterloo Region’s second pilot ION vehicle to Kingston
Posted Mar 21, 2017 06:59:20 AM.
Last Updated Mar 21, 2017 08:45:32 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Bombardier says they are on track to deliver the light rail vehicles for Waterloo Region’s ION.
In a statement, the company says static testing of the first pilot vehicle has successfully demonstrated break and high-voltage operation and adds that today they are ready to ship the second pilot vehicle from its Thunder Bay facility to Kingston where it will undergo testing later this spring.
Also in the statement, Project Manager for Bombardier, Mark McGregor says “We are confident that our vehicles will be ready well before the tracks, and we look forward to delivering world class vehicles to support the transportation needs of the people of Toronto and the Region of Waterloo.”
Meantime, Metrolinx and Bombardier will face off in court on Tuesday over a light-rail contact for the Eglinton Crosstown in Toronto.
The Ontario Superior Court will hear Bombardier’s request for an injunction to prevent Metrolinx from terminating the contract.
The provincial transit agency is fighting for the right to get out of the $770-million contract, and the right to speak to other suppliers, on the grounds that Bombardier may not be able to deliver on time. The delay would cost Metrolinx a fortune in penalties, and it would damage Metrolinx’s reputation.
Bombardier is expected to argue that it can deliver the vehicles on time. Cancelling the contract, Bombardier argues, would cause irreparable harm to its finances, international reputation, and employees.
Bombardier is also claiming that Metrolinx wants out of the deal because it no longer needs all of the vehicles it ordered, and that’s because Toronto City Council flip-flopped on the Scarborough subway plan once Rob Ford became mayor in 2010, essentially cancelling David Miller’s Transit City.
