Just four months after the STM’s new AZUR metro trains started carrying passengers, one of them has been found to have a mechanical problem.
“You have to understand that the trains are still in the works and it’s normal to have adjustments and so far, so good,” STM spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay said Tuesday.
A bolt in the suspension and traction system has cracked.
“It will be back as soon as everybody is comfortable with the safety and service requirements,” Tremblay added.
On Friday, the mechanical problem was noticed on the latest train to have been brought into service at the beginning of June.
The STM pulled all three new trains off the tracks as precaution.
Since Friday, two out of three trains cleared the inspection but the last one to be introduced remains in maintenance for now.
“We took care of it as it happened, we have a very secure Metro,” Tremblay said.
The AZUR has been a source of controversy in the past.
The product of a Bombardier-Alstom consortium, the train had been in the works since 2010 but was introduced a year and a half late.
It also cost $2 billion and despite the hefty price tag, some say a few hiccups are expected along the way.
“It’s like buying a new car,” François Pepin, president of the commuter advocacy group Transport 2000, said. “Maybe most of the cars are good cars and it’s one that has a problem.”
Pepin remains optimistic that the STM will get it together.
“If they find the cause of the problem with Bombardier and they shouldn’t have the same problems on other trains,” he said.
Karim Boulos, a municipal affairs analyst, said the maintenance this time around should be covered.
“The City of Montreal has a responsibility to ensure that the new trains are safe, last long, are comfortable for riders,” Boulos said.
According to Boulos, the city should stay vigilant to force Bombardier into repairing its trains.
“In my opinion, the city is going to hold the guarantee in place and they are going to ensure that whatever repairs are needed are done in (a) timely manner.”
The STM said the mechanical problem will not delay the introduction of the remaining 49 cars by the end of 2018.
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