TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

[nfitz]

Bombardier always f*cks things up.

How did Bombardier f up the orders for the GO cars? How did they f up the new Toronto subway cars? Or the Vancouver Skytrain cars?

Look at the delays with the streetcars, the mess with the Montreal metro cars, etc.

The Bombardier-Alstom bid for the Montreal metro cars?

Because so many Canadian cities just automatically hand the job to them they don't need to do a good job so they don't bother.

Hang on, the Toronto streetcars and Montreal metro cars went to the lowest bidder. The stuff they got without bidding (GO, Vancouver, Torontto subway) seems to have gone fine.

Maybe the failure was to look for the lowest bid, rather than giving it to them automatically.

Ottawa went with Alstom, and the vehicles they're getting are prime stuff.

That's the same Alstom that's part of the Montreal metro car, right?

 

[JayBeeGooner]

Bombardier always f*cks things up. Look at the delays with the streetcars, the mess with the Montreal metro cars, etc. Because so many Canadian cities just automatically hand the job to them they don't need to do a good job so they don't bother.

Ottawa went with Alstom, and the vehicles they're getting are prime stuff. Much faster than the Flexity (faster than the Toronto TR subway trains even!).

Funny you mention Alstom.

http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...to-enter-service-in-hannover.html?channel=000

Every manufacaturer will have issues from time to time.

 

[M II A II R II K]

 

[the lemur]

Please tell me that was a low-speed impact and there was only minor damage to 4404.

 

[nfitz]

Please tell me that was a low-speed impact and there was only minor damage to 4404.

Nextbus shows it still in service today, currently heading into Queens Quay station eastbound. So presumably not even minor damage to 4404.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Please tell me that was a low-speed impact and there was only minor damage to 4404.

Our streetcars are tough. Whatever happened to 4404 probably buffed out

 

[Johnny Au]

Our streetcars are tough. Whatever happened to 4404 probably buffed out 

Bombardier did a great job at making the Flexities tough, unlike what UTDC and Hawker Siddeley did with the CLRV that had a collision at Main and Danforth that was ultimately scrapped.

 

[acornman]

Caught a glimpse of one of the new streetcars heading southbound on Bay between College and Dundas this afternoon around 4pm. Not sure where it was headed as it looked empty (though i could be wrong as it was a quick glance).

Was just a little odd to see it on that particular street.

 

[nfitz]

Caught a glimpse of one of the new streetcars heading southbound on Bay between College and Dundas this afternoon around 4pm. Not sure where it was headed as it looked empty (though i could be wrong as it was a quick glance).

Was just a little odd to see it on that particular street.

With the construction at Spadina/College all the service on College (506) is currently running on Bay between Dundas and College.

So presumably a training run ... which isn't unusual along College ... or pretty much anywhere.

 

[drum118]

4407 is waiting a pickup by CP and will be here next week. May 3rd may see it in service based on 4406 going into service time frame.

 

[johntauren]

4407 is waiting a pickup by CP and will be here next week. May 3rd may see it in service based on 4406 going into service time frame.

4407 just left Thunder Bay this morning.
https://twitter.com/StreetcarTO/status/590133788778360833

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Bombardier did a great job at making the Flexities tough, unlike what UTDC and Hawker Siddeley did with the CLRV that had a collision at Main and Danforth that was ultimately scrapped.

The anti-climber keeps the whole front end from telescoping in a collision. I'm sure if you hit a Flexity completely above the bumper at high speed the damage would be pretty bad. The CLRV was likely scrapped because it was a collision between TTC vehicles, therefore no insurance funds to repair the car.

People will find ways to hit streetcars, even when they are on mostly ROW routes.

 

[nfitz]

The CLRV was likely scrapped because it was a collision between TTC vehicles, therefore no insurance funds to repair the car.

I'd think it was more to do with the imminent retirement of CLRV vehicles. Even if not $ cost, it could well be that CLRVs would be starting retirement by the time repairs were finished - and the labour required to do the work, would be better spent maintaining the existing fleet.

The damage didn't look that bad. I'd think that had that accident happened in 1990 or 2000, that it would have been repaired.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

I'd think it was more to do with the imminent retirement of CLRV vehicles. Even if not $ cost, it could well be that CLRVs would be starting retirement by the time repairs were finished - and the labour required to do the work, would be better spent maintaining the existing fleet.

The damage didn't look that bad. I'd think that had that accident happened in 1990 or 2000, that it would have been repaired.

Absolutely. I raise the insurance angle because there were at least two PCC cars I know of that had brand-new front ends put on them after collisions on the street in 1988 (shortly before all the non-rebuilt cars were retired), while other PCCs were being dispatched to the bone yard at Wychwood for minor bumps that happened in the yard.

 

[Forgotten]

4407 just left Thunder Bay this morning.
https://twitter.com/StreetcarTO/status/590133788778360833

39 days between shipments. Just as Bombardier promised. I hope the city is getting the papers ready for the lawsuit. Taxpayers are getting ripped off big time.