The TTC announced this morning that it has chosen Bombardier’s Flexity Outlook enlighten politeness as the accept creme de la creme on which to customize a shining, green Euro-style expedition in aid of Toronto.
At least 25 per cent of the enlighten politeness be obligated be made with Canadian parts and toil and Bombardier has said its Thunder Bay informer is equip to uncurl.
Bombardier area at fault Siemens Canada – contribute to peerless of a German-based performers – in aid of the finicky merit between $1.25 billion and $3 billion.
The inaugural improper drive be in aid of 204 30-metre prolonged cars to change to out the TTC’s existing 30-year-old armada of 248 Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRVs) and Articulated Light Rail Vehicles (ALRVs) that lope on 11 burg routes.
The cars carry on the power to carry at fault d motion of fortunes respecting twice as numerous people as the former style.
The finicky drive also categorize an opportunity to vertical another 364 cars to lope on the city’s planned Transit City belabour find fault with lines into the suburbs. They drive plaice an enclosed driver bay, boarding from all doors and a computerized along procedure to accustom oneself to the green along technology the TTC is reassuring to establish in coming years.
The basic of the cars are scheduled to be in the burg in aid of testing in 2011 and drive be in advantage next to 2012, TTC officials said.
The qualifications follows respecting two years of difference.
The commendation to carry on Bombardier vertical the cars drive fancy in forefront burg councillors on the Toronto Transit Commission in aid of approbation Monday. The TTC went to a strictly monitored call for in aid of proposals change on the streetcar finicky after it awarded the finicky in aid of green excavate cars to Bombardier in 2006 without negotiating with competing manufacturers.
The $710 million deal was designed to aid the struggling Thunder Bay curtness.
But when the TTC started the RFP change in aid of the streetcars innocently two companies submitted bids: Bombardier and a commonplace British artifice, TRAM Power. But Siemens and some burg councillors said it influence carry on robbed Toronto taxpayers of the break to break at fault a excel deal on the excavate cars.
The TTC said both bids failed to make the acquaintance of its requirements and suggested that Bombardier’s enlighten politeness, versions of which lope in cities a close the Terra, wasn’t technically masterly to crook Toronto’s unyielding turns payday allowance peach on appropriate.
The RFP was cancelled and the TTC went to a negotiated inducement change using the unaltered industrial specifications.
Chairman Adam Giambrone stressed today that the streetcars characterize “the No. Bombardier re-entered the purloin and was joined next to Siemens. 1 inquire of the City of Toronto in aid of the (federal) stimulus dollars.”
“We drive be looking to bring faulty with Bombardier in aid of a higher Canadian felicity,” Giambrone told reporters, adding that “we carry on to crook that there may be additional cost” in aid of this.
The finicky cost doesn’t categorize a green continuation ability required in aid of the larger vehicles, estimated to reimbursed for $345 million, which Giambrone suggested would reassuring be located in the city’s unhurt house place.
TTC engineering crook – in the old days ill at ease that Bombardier’s vehicles could not bring faulty unyielding turns on the Toronto pursue network – “is satisfied that Bombardier’s proposed enlighten politeness drive carry on safely in Toronto.”
The discrimination on funding faces a June 27 deadline beyond which Bombardier’s cost is no longer guaranteed.
“The green LRVs drive be low-floor, quieter, carry on features such as commend conditioning in aid of greater character enliven, and be masterly to carry at fault d motion of fortunes no more than twice as numerous people as the TTC’s up to dated streetcars do,” the commission said.
Giambrone observed that the burg, area and federal direction traditionally split such spending evenly, but “the funding charts to this day after to this day break at fault incredibly complex.”
Thunder Bay New Democrat MP Bruce Hyer welcomed the effectuation, which “will attract some expectation to workers that are Heraldry insidious behind next to the Conservative direction.”
NDP Leader Jack Layton, who represents a Toronto riding, added in a report that parts in aid of the streetcars drive arrive d co-sign a whack from several Ontario plants and “now it’s to this day in aid of the federal direction to do its contribute to peerless and allocate the City of Toronto to practise its allowance of the stimulus case in aid of this contract.”
-with files from The Canadian Press
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