WATCH: Dave Trafford reports that the rollout of the new streetcars is behind schedule because Bombardier needed to retrofit its accessibility ramps.
TORONTO – Design and engineering challenges, as well as a prolonged strike at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay manufacturing plant, are being blamed for the delay in the delivery of the Toronto Transit Commission’s new streetcars.
An order was made in June 2009 for 204 new vehicles at a total cost of $1.25 billion, but so far only three are currently on the streets of Toronto.
The Toronto Star reports 43 were scheduled to be delivered to the city by now and 7 were supposed to be in service at year’s end.
READ MORE: TTC guides you through new state-of-the-art streetcars
TTC CEO Andy Byford told the newspaper that part of the problem was also pinned on the late arrival of a prototype streetcar which only arrived in March 2013 for testing.
The TTC wants all the new vehicles delivered by 2019, but Bombardier says it cannot officially confirm the exact date.
Byford tells the Star there could be penalties if they don’t get delivered on time.
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