News   Nov 12, 2024
 698     1 
News   Nov 12, 2024
 520     1 
News   Nov 12, 2024
 618     0 

TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

I'm surprised that the Flexity Freedom carries 30 more people than the outlook. They're virtually the same size, however the Freedom has cabs on both ends.
It's 11cm wider and has less seats. It translate to about 5m^2 of more standing space. Crush load usually means 6 people per square meter.
 
I'm surprised that the Flexity Freedom carries 30 more people than the outlook. They're virtually the same size, however the Freedom has cabs on both ends.

Different loading standards. Metrolinx has the bus capacity listed at 48 - which may be the metric by which they calculate their own buses as being "full", whereas the rated rush-hour capacity of a TTC bus is 50 to 53, depending on version. Loaded by the same standards, a Flexity Freedom will have a similar same capacity as an Outlook.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 

An interesting article but I agree with Brad Ross re the size of the fleet affecting the MDBF. Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post the definition of "failure" is important. Is it a complete power loss on the vehicle or is it just a few loose seats? As Brad Ross points out, it seems to be mainly issues with the doors and this problem has been forwarded to Bombardier.

Quotes from the article:
“This is perfectly normal. These are things that (you) really don’t need to worry about until you have a substantial number of vehicles in the fleet,” TTC spokesperson Brad Ross explained. “If we start to see a trend going the other way at 60, that becomes a bigger concern then.”

Some of the streetcar failures include issues with the doors, seating issues, electrical problems.

“After 5,000 kilometres, on average, we might see a door problem or there might be some brake issue or there might be some intercom issue,” Ross said. “These are minor kinds of issues. These are not major show stoppers for the vehicle.”



If Flexities start spontaneously bursting into flames, then I'll get worried. :eek:
 
I wonder if back when we rep;laced the PPC cars with the current one if there was as much hatred to UTDC as there is to Bombardier or is because we live in the days of social media where everyone can post an opinion and it gets accepted as a fact because people that follow them feel the same way?
 
It sounds like pretty typical run of the mill media alarmism. Something that's pretty common when reporting on Toronto transit (sometimes it's warranted).
yeah it's like when we only ad one Toronto Rocket train everyone was worried that we wouldn't get all of them because the problems bombardier had with them at the beginning. Every new vehicle has it's teething problems, people just over exaggerate then so they seem bigger then they are.
 
At the risk of being accused of Schadenfreude I'll post this article because it shows that Toronto is not alone in its transit problems. I'm sure a Google search would unearth problems in other cities in North America and around the world. My sympathies go out to the commuters of Singapore but this proves that quality control is not just a Bombardier problem.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/china-made-mrt-trains-sent-back-to-fix-defects

Some quotes from this article:

In response to press queries, SMRT Trains managing director Lee Ling Wee said: "Our engineers discovered that 26 of the 35 trains delivered by the manufacturer had cracks in the structure connecting the car body and the bogie after they were delivered in 2013.

According to reports by online news portal FactWire, some of the trains had windows shattering repeatedly, and in 2011, one of the trains' Chinese-made uninterruptible power supply batteries exploded during repair.
 
yeah it's like when we only ad one Toronto Rocket train everyone was worried that we wouldn't get all of them because the problems bombardier had with them at the beginning. Every new vehicle has it's teething problems, people just over exaggerate then so they seem bigger then they are.

And, of course, bad news sells newspapers and generates hits for news sites. I watched the news video and the reporter was obviously digging as best she could for some horrific news about the Flexities. "Some of the new streetcars have door issues and some have seats that have come loose!!!! Oh, dear God!!! Oh, the humanity!!!!!"
 
The door problem might have something to do with everyone trying to keep them open so they can shove in. They were designed for typical Europeans and not or those aggressive TTC riders. Eventually TTC will come up with a solution.
 
And, of course, bad news sells newspapers and generates hits for news sites. I watched the news video and the reporter was obviously digging as best she could for some horrific news about the Flexities. "Some of the new streetcars have door issues and some have seats that have come loose!!!! Oh, dear God!!! Oh, the humanity!!!!!"

Under warranty. Better to have Bombardier (or more accurately, their suppliers) to fix and pay for the problems during the warranty period.

(Like the Takata airbag recall that is affecting several automobile manufacturers. See link.) Remember the subway door problem in 2010 with the Toronto Rocket subway trains. The original door manufacture went bankrupt. See link. Maybe the same replacement door manufacturer.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if part of the problem with the doors is because they open them up at every stop instead of having people hit the buttons.
 
More likely people don't know they should be pressing the RED button to open the door. Pressing the BLUE button requests to activate the wheelchair ramp.

When they don't, they assume the door is "broken" and inform the operator or supervisor to "fix" it.

new-ttc-streetcar-ramp-exterior-corbin-smith.jpg
 
More likely people don't know they should be pressing the RED button to open the door. Pressing the BLUE button requests to activate the wheelchair ramp.

When they don't, they assume the door is "broken" and inform the operator or supervisor to "fix" it.

new-ttc-streetcar-ramp-exterior-corbin-smith.jpg


That's only on one door out of four, it clearly shows the accessibility logo, and it's well-below normal hand/arm level vs the red one. I've never seen anyone press it by accident on the exterior of door 2 before. Do you have any data to support that this is a frequent problem or that this has been reported to operators/supervisors as 'broken'?
 
Steve Munro reported a few days ago:

Once 509 Harbourfront and 514 Cherry are fully equipped with new cars, the next route to be changed over will be 505 Dundas and then 511 Bathurst. If Bombardier deliveries continue at the late 2016 rate and do not ramp up until April 2017 (as planned), the conversion of 505 Dundas will not start until sometime in the second quarter.
 

Back
Top