TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

[Dan416]

As we discussed yesterday, this vehicle is 2.65 m wide, and most importantly (as you can see in the New Orleans mock-up), has doors on both side of the vehicle. Presumably this is the mock-up for the Transit City LRV that Bombardier is still under contract to deliver to Metrolinx for start of Sheppard East operations in 2013

(I haven't seen any press release from Bombardier to their shareholders about any changes to that contract with Metrolinx. In their most recent quarterly report released in August, they still mention the full value of the Metrolinx contract. Presumably Bombardier would be working full speed on the mock-up and production of vehicles according to the original schedule, if only to maximize the penalties that the City of Toronto will have to pay if a contract change is negotiated).

I realize they're different orders but couldn't Bombardier prioritize the legacy replacement LRVs first and then the Eglinton LRVs after for when the Eglinton line is finished?

 

[FinchConnection]

Any word on whether a Finch LRT line will be resuscitated?

 

[FinchConnection]

Nice photos as well.

 

[MetroMan]

Any word on whether a Finch LRT line will be resuscitated?

Council will be voting on "something" about TransitCity some time in 2012. Whether it's to endorse the Eglinton LRT as submitted by Metrolinx at the request of Rob Ford or a vote on the Sheppard subway when the findings on how to get it built are reported early next year or maybe on a revival of the entire TransitCity plan as voted on by the previous City Council... is not known yet.

I wouldn't get my hopes up on Finch. The money for that line and Sheppard have been put into making Eglinton fully underground. Council would have to go in a very different direction from Ford and would be declaring total war on the Mayor if they went up against his crown jewel of killing Transit City.

I think it's likely that council approves Eglinton as fully underground and then defers Sheppard to next city council.

 

[TDE]

I think it's likely that council approves Eglinton as fully underground and then defers Sheppard to next city council.

I would only hope some sort of roughing in could still be done under CN's Uxbridge Sub until then...

 

[EnviroTO]

I would only hope some sort of roughing in could still be done under CN's Uxbridge Sub until then...

Are you talking about the Sheppard Line? There is no way they are going to do anything there without the whole line approved. That would be one of the most expensive parts of the whole project going under two railway lines and a creek while having a station at the same time.

 

[smallspy]

I would only hope some sort of roughing in could still be done under CN's Uxbridge Sub until then...

The design of the underpass as bid out called for a roughed-in median ready for track installation. I can't see how they would have changed that in mid-construction, as it would have required the construction company to stop while it was redesigned.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

Thanks for the links and photos. The talk that the orginal Metrolinx contract is still going forward brings up the question of whether the other LRVs will be allocated for other projects? I know there are some potential projects (ie. Hamilton) being considered, so is it possible that we'll be seeing them spread around?

 

[gweed123]

Thanks for the links and photos. The talk that the orginal Metrolinx contract is still going forward brings up the question of whether the other LRVs will be allocated for other projects? I know there are some potential projects (ie. Hamilton) being considered, so is it possible that we'll be seeing them spread around?

It's possible, but I'd imagine they'd be sitting around collecting dust for a few years if that's the case. Mississauaga, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Ottawa are all building LRT systems which could use that same rolling stock. Unfortunately I think all of these are scheduled for completion in the latter half of this decade, if not into the next decade. I suppose each of these cities could take a car or two as 'demos', but until such time as these systems would be operational, I'd imagine they'd just collect dust.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Council will be voting on "something" about TransitCity some time in 2012. Whether it's to endorse the Eglinton LRT as submitted by Metrolinx at the request of Rob Ford or a vote on the Sheppard subway when the findings on how to get it built are reported early next year or maybe on a revival of the entire TransitCity plan as voted on by the previous City Council... is not known yet.

I wouldn't get my hopes up on Finch. The money for that line and Sheppard have been put into making Eglinton fully underground. Council would have to go in a very different direction from Ford and would be declaring total war on the Mayor if they went up against his crown jewel of killing Transit City.

I think it's likely that council approves Eglinton as fully underground and then defers Sheppard to next city council.

The TTC should provide options for Eglinton Crosstown:

1. Transit City version
2. Rob Ford's version, all underground
3. hybrid version, underpass and overpass at intersections, but mostly down the medium aboveground

 

[Markster]

It's possible, but I'd imagine they'd be sitting around collecting dust for a few years if that's the case. Mississauaga, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Ottawa are all building LRT systems which could use that same rolling stock. Unfortunately I think all of these are scheduled for completion in the latter half of this decade, if not into the next decade. I suppose each of these cities could take a car or two as 'demos', but until such time as these systems would be operational, I'd imagine they'd just collect dust.

Waterloo's system is supposed to go live in 2017, and Ottawa's in 2018. These dates are earlier than the originally scheduled completion times of several of the Transit City lines.

 

[kEiThZ]

Waterloo's system is supposed to go live in 2017, and Ottawa's in 2018. These dates are earlier than the originally scheduled completion times of several of the Transit City lines.

Ottawa is supposed to be operational in 2018. They want it to be in some sort of demonstration mode for the 150th Canada Day in 2017. So the rail stock will have to be in Ottawa in 2017.

 

[kEiThZ]

It's possible, but I'd imagine they'd be sitting around collecting dust for a few years if that's the case. Mississauaga, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Ottawa are all building LRT systems which could use that same rolling stock. Unfortunately I think all of these are scheduled for completion in the latter half of this decade, if not into the next decade. I suppose each of these cities could take a car or two as 'demos', but until such time as these systems would be operational, I'd imagine they'd just collect dust.

They could always take a small penalty and modify the delivery schedule and contract for Bombardier.

 

[reaperexpress]

They could always take a small penalty and modify the delivery schedule and contract for Bombardier.

It would probably be 2015 or 2016 before the Eglinton LRT fleet is fully delivered, and at that point garages may already have been built in Waterloo and Ottawa. It might be cheaper to store subsequent LRVs in their respective cities than to pay a fee to delay deliveries.

 

[CapitalSeven]

Ottawa has already published specs requiring a vehicle with a top speed of 100 kph. That's well beyond the capabilities of the Transit City vehicles. Future phases of the Ottawa system will have longer distances between stations crossing areas of greenbelt. It really is a different animal from the Toronto lines, and it's unlikely Ottawa would consider the vehicles.