TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

[TheTigerMaster]

We should make a new drinking game.

 

[Megaton327]

We should make a new drinking game.

If the game has to do with Bombardier screwing up, or with how the TTC suffers real-world day-to-day negative consequences due to it, a lot of us will suffer from alcohol poisoning every day.

 

[pstogios]

We should make a new drinking game.

Take one shot when Snake Oil Inc puts out a new "schedule";
Take two shots when Byford says he is disappointed and frustrated;
Take three shots when Duck defends Snake Oil Inc;
Drink the whole bottle when Snake Oil Inc is bailed out by Trudeau.

 

[TOareaFan]

^take 1/2 a shot every time someone here calls them Snake Oil Inc.....the Ontario healthcare system would be overrun if it were more than that

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

If the game has to do with Bombardier screwing up, or with how the TTC suffers real-world day-to-day negative consequences due to it, a lot of us will suffer from alcohol poisoning every day.

With TTC the way it is, you'd wish you are suffering from alcohol poisoning.

AoD

 

[crs1026]

If Bombardier handled the supply chain for tequila, we'd all stay sober.

- Paul

 

[ksun]

Guys, you won't believe the news that just came out! Bombardier, after weeks of promising that the streetcars will not be late anymore, announced that the streetcars will be late.


View attachment 73551

I am curious how Nfitz will make this all sound reasonable. Maybe it is a result of our advanced democracy again.

 

[salsa]

Take one shot when Snake Oil Inc puts out a new "schedule";
Take two shots when Byford says he is disappointed and frustrated;
Take three shots when Duck defends Snake Oil Inc;
Drink the whole bottle when Snake Oil Inc is bailed out by Trudeau.

Guys, before you all go on a binge, the government requires that your drinks must be Canadian content.

 

[pstogios]

I am curious how Nfitz will make this all sound reasonable. Maybe it is a result of our advanced democracy again.

Wait for it - nfitz will say he never said this is reasonable.
... then go on to minimize the seriousness of this issue.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From The Star, at this link:

New streetcars delayed by Bombardier again
TTC CEO Andy Byford said expected delivery now a mystery with no new schedule in place

Transit officials are exasperated with Bombardier after another promise for the delivery of new streetcars appears headed for derailment.

In his monthly report to the TTC board released Thursday, TTC CEO Andy Byford said he shared his ongoing “frustration and dissatisfaction” with senior management for the Montreal-based transportation company but expected delays would continue.

“At the time of writing, I am unable to confirm a delivery schedule, but it is evident that Bombardier will not hit the four vehicles per month that we were promised as recently as last month,” Byford wrote.

After problems at Bombardier’s Mexican plant and defects in the manufacturing of the vehicles put delivery behind by a year, the company promised the TTC this March that four streetcars would arrive every month starting in April.

There are currently 17 new light rail vehicles in service on the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes of the total 204 ordered as part of a $1.25 billion contract.

Bombardier’s expedited schedule would have put 54 streetcars on Toronto tracks by year’s end, with the full fleet still promised by the end of 2019.

That was scaled back from the original plan to have 73 streetcars arrive by the end of 2015.

“We understand there are still quality control issues within the manufacturing process,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross. “We await a revised schedule.”

A spokesperson from Bombardier said the company has appointed a new president of transportation for the Americas, Benoit Brossoit, who is still “assessing” the situation since taking the role earlier this month and will be speaking with Toronto officials “in the coming days.”

“For now, we really want to be able to communicate all this information first to the TTC,” said spokesperson Marc-Andre Lefebvre, adding quality control issues have been of concern throughout the contract.

“Right now everything that we’re doing is to ensure that we deliver high-quality vehicles.”

The TTC has filed a claim for $51 million — 5 per cent of the contract’s value — which Ross said includes costs to rebuild and service the city’s existing streetcars longer than expected.

That decision to seek costs came after nearly a year of hand wringing at city hall and TTC headquarters.

“I’m kind of sick of their excuses at this point,” said TTC chair Councillor Josh Colle in July. “I don’t want anymore excuses I just want our damn streetcars.”

The TTC board, which meets next week, has considered further penalties for Bombardier, including excluding them from future contracts.

A decision has yet to be made.

 

[smallspy]

It's too bad the max the TTC can sue for under the contract is $50M.

Under the terms of the contract - yes. TTC is suing under the pretense that Bombardier negotiated the contract in bad faith, so there is no cap on the total amount.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I think this is a much smarter strategy by Byford. Don't communicate any further "schedules" (very loose usage of the term) since each and every one of them has been missed by Snake Oil Inc. They haven't meant anything.

It's too bad the max the TTC can sue for under the contract is $50M.

Under the terms of the contract - yes. TTC is suing under the pretense that Bombardier negotiated the contract in bad faith, so there is no cap on the total amount.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Yeah. $50 Million isn't exactly a lot of money nowadays. So you're telling us that we could sue bombardier for One Hundred... BILLION Dollars?

 

[Napoleon]

The really pathetic part is.... here on UT, some of us spent a lot of time treating the 4 a month thing as an actual possibility.

You know, I was actually optimistic. I thought maybe they'd finally gotten their ducks in a row and were ready to start churning out streetcars...it wasn't an outlandish number to promise either.

I'm curious what the Magic 8 ball of excuses will say this time. They've already blamed welding and wiring problems in Mexico. Perhaps "alien abductions" is the next plausible one.

 

[rbt]

The really pathetic part is.... here on UT, some of us spent a lot of time treating the 4 a month thing as an actual possibility.

- Paul

In my defence I'm optimistically biased as a shareholder. In all honesty though, whatever happens with the TTC order is far less important to them as a company than what Delta might do with a CSeries order.

 

[ottbike]

You know, I was actually optimistic. I thought maybe they'd finally gotten their ducks in a row and were ready to start churning out streetcars...it wasn't an outlandish number to promise either.

I'm curious what the Magic 8 ball of excuses will say this time. They've already blamed welding and wiring problems in Mexico. Perhaps "alien abductions" is the next plausible one.

The other interesting fact to consider is, considering all the production issues, how are they going to output both Waterloo and TTC flexities without impacting the production rate of the other. Assuming they will have to set up another production floor, but it isn't clear if that has happened, or how BBD will respond if they effectively have to choose to further delay one or the other.