U.K. firm takes on Bombardier for TTC deal
British vehicle said to be lighter, more efficient
Jul 03, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
transportation reporter
Even through the static of a trans-Atlantic phone call, there was no mistaking the amazement and delight yesterday of executives at TRAM Power, the relatively small British light rail company that is challenging Bombardier's bid to make the TTC's new streetcars.
TRAM officials in Merseyside, England, spent the day fielding inquiries about why a company that most Canadian transportation insiders had never heard of until this week felt qualified to submit a complex bid on the TTC contract worth about $1.2 billion.
"Just because (Bombardier) is the bigger guy, they shouldn't get it by default. All that we're hoping is if we don't get the contract it's because we've lost it on merit. We do have some compelling arguments why our vehicle is better," said managing director Daniel Biggs.
"It has been designed to be a tram, not a scaled-down train. It's lighter, more efficient. It's completely sustainable and renewable energy. That's how we are trying to package it and take it to the market," he said.
Unlike Bombardier, which already supplies subway cars to the TTC and GO's new diesel locomotives, TRAM Power is still wooing buyers with its prototype light rail cars that have been tested in Blackpool and Birkenhead, England.
But its top executives say they are talking to and potentially bidding on projects in 10 countries. The company may be small but it is credible, said Biggs. With about 100 employees based not far from Leyland – home of the Morris Minor and the Mini – it also has a manufacturing operation for its primary business, recovery vehicles, in China, with plans to set up more facilities in Australia and San Francisco.
A plant in Canada wouldn't be out of the question, he said. That's a key point, since the TTC has required that 25 per cent – or about $300 million – of the streetcar contract be Canadian parts and labour.
The contract is for 204 accessible low-floor cars to replace the TTC's fleet, starting in 2010. There's also a conditional option for 300 more cars to serve the TTC's planned Transit City streetcar lines.
Director Lewis Lesley claims TRAM Power can build Toronto's cars for about $2.6 million each, considerably less than figures cited by the TTC. The cars can accommodate about 220 passengers.
That Bombardier bid on the project – to be awarded this fall – was no surprise. But international streetcar manufacturers Siemens, which has just announced planned job cuts, and Alstom, had expressed interest yet did not submit bids.
It will be at least a month before the TTC can evaluate the bidders' technological specifications.