The Ontario government says it has an agreement to buy 61 light-rail vehicles from French manufacturer Alstom as an insurance plan in case Bombardier can't deliver railcars for transit projects in Toronto.
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca says under the $528 million deal, Ontario transit agency Metrolinx would purchase light-rail vehicles from Alstom for the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West projects.
Del Duca says the agreement reflects the government's plan to have transit projects completed on time.
The announcement ratchets up a dispute between the government and Bombardier over the company's ability to fulfil train orders in a city where gridlock has become an increasing frustration for hundreds of thousands of commuters.
Last month, an Ontario judge ruled that Metrolinx can't cancel its $770-million contract with Bombardier to build light-rail vehicles for the Eglinton Crosstown without first going through a dispute resolution process.
Del Duca says if Bombardier follows through with its commitment to deliver the light-rail vehicles for Toronto, Metrolinx would be able to use Alstom's vehicles for other projects, including the Hurontario LRT west of Toronto.
Bombardier has released a statement:
Bombardier is ready, able, and willing to deliver these vehicles to the people of Toronto on time. As the Minister and Metrolinx are well aware, these vehicles can be ready ahead of schedule and well before a single track has even been laid on the Eglinton Crosstown.
In fact, the Metrolinx pilot vehicle is ready, undergoing qualification testing, and Bombardier is right now producing vehicles for the Region of Waterloo that are identical to those that will be used on the Eglinton Crosstown. All 14 of those vehicles will be delivered to Waterloo by the end of this year.
We believe what’s best for the people of Toronto and Ontario is that we work together to ensure taxpayers are not on the hook for another cancelled contract. We’ve met each and every major LRV delivery milestone in the last eight months and the proof will be in the performance of these vehicles in Waterloo and on Eglinton. We have addressed the issues raised in the past and we are confident this will be upheld in the dispute resolution process.
We are committed to working with Metrolinx to find a clear path forward; one that ensures the transit riding public has the most efficient, comfortable and reliable transit system in the world.