Flexity Freedom | |
---|---|
In service | 2019-present |
Manufacturer | |
Built at | Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
Family name | Flexity |
Entered service | June 21, 2019 [1] |
Number under construction | Toronto: 76 |
Number in service | |
Capacity | 135–275 depending on configuration [5] [6] |
Specifications | |
Car length | 20.0–40 m (65 ft 7 in – 131 ft 3 in) depending on configuration [5] [7] |
Width | 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) [5] |
Height | 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) [5] |
Doors | 6–10 (3–5 on each side) [5] [6] |
Articulated sections | 3–7 [5] [6] |
Maximum speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) [5] |
Electric system(s) | 750 V DC from overhead trolley wire [5] |
Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
UIC classification | Bo'2Bo' (5-section) [8] |
AAR wheel arrangement | B-2-B (5-section) [8] |
Minimum turning radius | 25 metres (82.02 ft) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Flexity Freedom is a low-floor, articulated light rail vehicle developed by Bombardier Transportation, and later Alstom, for the North American market. It is marketed as part of the Bombardier Flexity family which includes other models of trams (streetcars) and light metro vehicles. They are produced in facilities in Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, which once produced rolling stock under the names of Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) and Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), respectively.
The Flexity Freedom is used on the Ion rapid transit in Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, and the Valley Line in Edmonton. [9] It is planned for use on the Line 5 Eglinton light rail system under construction in Toronto. [10]
Being entirely low-floor, these vehicles directly compete with the Flexity Swift, Alstom Citadis, Siemens S70, CAF Urbos, and Kinki Sharyo LRVs. However, as they are designed for light rail rather than streetcar applications, they also compete against, to a lesser extent, low-floor streetcars from Škoda/Inekon and Brookville Equipment Corporation, among others.
The vehicles all have a 100% low-floor design and can be built to operate unidirectionally or bidirectionally. [11] The vehicles' design includes energy-saving features, like regenerative braking and the use of LED lighting, but they are also air-conditioned. The vehicles may be coated in special paint designed to resist graffiti. They are equipped with passenger counters at the doors. [5]
The vehicles are articulated, but unlike competing rolling stock, they are built out of similar-length modules. [5] Operators can alter the number of intermediate modules, thus altering the capacity of the individual vehicles. The Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo vehicles will contain five modules, while those in Edmonton have seven modules. Vehicles can be coupled and operated as trains of up to four connected vehicles.
The maximum passenger capacities, in the standard seating layouts, are 135 and 251, for the three and five-module configurations respectively. When run in the five-module configuration, with train-sets of four vehicles, a maximum capacity of 30,000 passengers per peak hour can be achieved. The vehicles' standard passenger configuration can safely accommodate up to four passengers in wheelchairs. For example, the trains for Edmonton carry up to 275 passengers per train. [9]
According to Bombardier, the trainsets can be built for "catenary-free" power, where, instead of being powered by direct contact with overhead wires they are powered indirectly through induction, through buried loops, a form of ground-level power supply competing directly with the Alstom APS system. [5]
The Flexity Freedom cars were designed for the Transit City plan which would have created six suburban LRT lines for an order of about 300 cars. Only two of these projects were active in 2016: the Eglinton Crosstown line, the first to go into construction, and the Finch West LRT, which was approved later. Metrolinx placed its first order for 182 vehicles [12] [13] under a CA$770-million contract announced in 2010. Of the 182 vehicles ordered, 76 were for the Eglinton Crosstown line and 23 for the Finch West LRT. [14] Bombardier expected deliveries to start in 2018. [15]
By May 2016, Metrolinx had not received the prototype vehicle that Bombardier was supposed to produce by spring 2015. The prototype, once received, would be tested for one or two years to work out any design bugs before Bombardier begins to manufacture the rest of the order. [16]
In July 2016, Bombardier spokesman Marc-André Lefebvre acknowledged receipt of "a contractual notice" from Metrolinx complaining about the delay in delivery of the prototype vehicle. Lefebvre said that the prototype would be delivered in August giving Metrolinx 18 months to test the vehicle, about double the time needed for testing. Lefebvre also said production would begin in spring 2018 and the remainder of the 182-car order would be delivered in time for the scheduled opening of the line. [17] On September 1, 2016, Bombardier said the prototype was nearing completion at the Thunder Bay plant and would be available for testing in 3 to 4 weeks. [18]
In September 2016, the province allowed consortia to include the delivery of light-rail vehicles in their bid to build the Finch West LRT, implying it might not use Flexity Freedom vehicles. Metrolinx was also considering such an approach for its two LRT projects outside of Toronto: the Hurontario LRT and the Hamilton LRT, [19] the latter cancelled by the province in December 2019 due to cost. [20]
In November 2016, Metrolinx gave formal notice of intent to cancel its contract with Bombardier. [21] Metrolinx alleged unacceptable delivery delays fearing that the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown line would be delayed due to a lack of vehicles. Bombardier claimed it could complete the order on time. [22] Metrolinx also alleged that the prototype could not handle basic functions such as taking power from an overhead catenary. Bombardier claimed the prototype functioned properly, and that it was conducting static tests before doing moving tests with power taken from a catenary. [23]
In late November 2016, Bombardier shipped the first pilot vehicle from its Thunder Bay plant to its Kingston plant to continue testing. The vehicle was still expected to require nine months of qualification testing. [24] [25]
By 2016, Metrolinx had inspected Bombardier's plants several times in both Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Sahagun, Mexico, and concluded that quality control was "plagued by welding issues as a result of poor training, incorrect procedures, faulty equipment and poor management". Metrolinx also discovered that quality control standards were inconsistent between the two plants. Bombardier acknowledged the problems but claimed they had since been resolved. [26]
On March 2, 2017, Metrolinx filed court affidavits to support its action to terminate the Flexity Freedom contract due to high financial risks. If Bombardier failed to deliver on time, Metrolinx would be liable to pay Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the consortium building the Crosstown, $500,000 per day [26] while Bombardier would be liable to pay only $1,500 per day per late vehicle. [27]
After Metrolinx failed in its court action against Bombardier, it announced on May 12, 2017, that it had signed an order for 61 light rail vehicles with Alstom, a competitor of Bombardier. If Bombardier delivers the Flexity Freedom vehicles on time to service the Eglinton Crosstown line, then Metrolinx will assign 17 Alstom Citadis Spirit LRVs to the Finch West LRT and 44 to the Hurontario LRT. However, If Bombardier is late in delivery, the Alstom units will serve the Eglinton Crosstown. [28]
On December 21, 2017, Metrolinx [29] and Bombardier [30] announced an agreement to reduce the Metrolinx order for Flexity Freedom vehicles from $770 million for 182 vehicles to $392 million for 76 vehicles, enough to supply only the Eglinton Crosstown line. The agreement also increased the potential penalty against Bombardier for late deliveries. In exchange, Bombardier received an 18-month extension on their contract to operate and maintain GO Transit rail services on behalf of Metrolinx. [31] [27]
In late October 2018, the first vehicle arrived in Kingston for testing and was scheduled to be delivered to Toronto in November, followed by five more cars by February 2019. [32] [33] The first Flexity Freedom vehicle arrived on January 8, 2019, at the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility. [34] On February 1, 2019, Metrolinx announced that Bombardier had missed the deadline to deliver the first six vehicles. [35]
On November 26, 2019, Metrolinx made an order modification with Bombardier to add communication and signalling equipment to the vehicles. The order change would cost $36.2 million plus $3 million if Bombardier completed the work on time plus $1.5 million to transport the vehicles to Bombardier's Thunder Bay plant. Crosslinx Transit Solutions was responsible for designing the communication and signalling systems, which it completed late. Vehicles already manufactured needed to be retrofitted. [36]
The due date for the acceptance of the first six vehicles is July 1, 2020. Line 5 Eglinton requires only 42 of 76 vehicles ordered for opening day (sometime in 2024), but Metrolinx expects the first 42 to be delivered by August 1, 2021. The deadline for the balance is March 31, 2022. By mid-March 2020, Bombardier had manufactured 30 vehicles, of which Metrolinx has given final acceptance to two. [36]
The Toronto vehicles were originally to have two cabs per vehicle but in 2013, Metrolinx changed the order to eliminate one cab. Thus, instead of a second cab, the rear of each Toronto car contains a passenger area with four side-facing seats and extra standing room. There are auxiliary controls in a cabinet at the rear. Thus, a two-vehicle trainset has a cab at each end with a pair of single-cab vehicles coupled back-to-back. [37]
The Toronto vehicles are equipped with automatic train control (ATC) with three modes: [38]
Flexity Freedom vehicles are technically similar to the Flexity Outlook vehicles of the Toronto streetcar system but are wider, are capable of higher speeds, and use standard gauge rather than the streetcar system's broad gauge. [5] The Flexity Freedom has doors on both sides, while the Flexity Outlook has doors only on the right side of the vehicle as they are not bi-directional, in keeping with all previous generations of Toronto streetcars. While Flexity Outlook vehicles are able to negotiate the tight curves of the largely on-street trackage and its single-point switches, Flexity Freedom vehicles require a minimum curve radius of 25 metres (82.02 ft) and conventional double-point switches. [39]
Light rail lines in Toronto, starting with Line 5 Eglinton, will be constructed to standard gauge instead of Toronto's streetcar gauge because Metrolinx, the Ontario provincial transit authority funding the projects, wants to ensure a better price for purchasing vehicles by having a degree of commonality with other similar projects within Ontario. [40]
The Flexity Freedom LRVs have a black and white livery rather than the red and white used on the Flexity Outlook streetcars. In Toronto, light rail lines are considered part of the Toronto subway system where vehicles have a metallic colour, to which the black and white livery would have some resemblance. [41]
The following chart compares the features of the Flexity Freedom and Flexity Outlook as used in Toronto. [42]
Comparison | Flexity Freedom | Flexity Outlook |
---|---|---|
Usage | Line 5 Eglinton | Toronto streetcar system |
Length | 31 m (102 ft) | 30 m (98 ft) [43] |
Width | 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) | 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,495 mm (4 ft 10+7⁄8 in) |
Switches [39] | Double-point | Single-point |
Maximum grade | 5–6 % | 8% |
Minimum curve radius | 25 m (82 ft) | 11 m (36 ft) |
Multi-vehicle trains | With 2–3 cars | |
Maximum speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) [44] | 70 km/h (43 mph) [43] |
Line voltage (DC) | 750 V | 600 V |
Current collector | Pantograph only | Trolley pole and pantograph |
Direction | Bidirectional | Unidirectional |
Number of doors [45] | 8 (4 per side) | 4 (right side only) |
Exterior colours [45] | Black & white | Red & white |
Presto readers on board [45] |
In July 2013, the Region of Waterloo finalized a deal with Metrolinx to join their contract to the Toronto order and purchase 14 vehicles for the Ion light rail system at a cost of $66 million. [46] [47] [48]
Bombardier's Thunder Bay plant built one production vehicle, and two prototype vehicles, with the Kingston plant making the remaining 13. [15] To avoid bottlenecks and shipping delays at its Thunder Bay plant, assembly work for the Flexity Freedom was shifted to Bombardier's Kingston, Ontario factory. [49] Bombardier is also moving the building of vehicle sub-assemblies from a plant in Mexico to one in La Pocatière, Quebec, and cab structures to another unspecified plant. [16] [17]
The delivery of the first vehicle had been expected in August 2016, and the remainder by the end of 2016. [50] However, by May 2016, Bombardier announced that delivery of the first car would be delayed to December 2016, and the last car would be delivered by October 2017. [16]
The first vehicle was loaded for delivery from the Thunder Bay plant on February 15, 2017, with further shipments from Bombardier's Kingston plant. [51] [52] The first Flexity Freedom vehicle arrived that month at the Ion maintenance facility, but it could not be tested as its operating software was incomplete. In October 2017, the second LRV arrived in more functional condition. [53] By mid-December 2017, Waterloo Region had 3 LRVs on site. [54]
On December 19, 2017, Waterloo Region had its first successful test of a Flexity Freedom running under its own power at the Ion maintenance facility. The two-hour test was done at the low speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph). In 2018, testing beyond the maintenance facility started. [54]
On June 21, 2019, regular service began for the system. In August 2020, it was confirmed that part of a compensation package from Bombardier to settle shipping delays would be a fifteenth unit, provided free of charge, for the Ion fleet. [55] It was delivered in early March 2021. [2]
As part of the consortium that won the contract to build and operate the Edmonton LRT Valley Line Southeast in February 2016, Bombardier provided Flexity Freedom vehicles for use on the new line, [9] as opposed to Siemens LRVs (Siemens SD-160 and Siemens–Duewag U2) on the existing Capital and Metro Lines. Where the vehicles built for Ontario have five segments, the vehicles built for Edmonton are longer, built of seven segments. [6] The first car was shipped on June 27, 2018 (from Kingston, Ontario, on CN Rail) and went up for display at Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre (next to the location of the what is now the Valley Line Bonnie Doon stop) on July 27, 2018. [6] The Edmonton LRVs have 82 seats each, 8 doors on each side, and each have a capacity of 275 people. [6] A total of 26 trains were produced for the line, with 10 delivered in late 2018, 13 in 2019, and 3 in 2020. [56] On November 4, 2023, regular service on the Valley Line began. [4]
An Alstom press release said that the order from Metrolinx was for 48.4-metre (159 ft) Citadis Spirit vehicles, the same design as it was supplying for Ottawa's Confederation Line. [57] The Citadis Spirit vehicles are 50 percent larger than Flexity Freedom vehicles, so transit planners anticipated fewer vehicles would be required. The Citadis vehicles cost $8.7 million each, over twice the average $4.2-million cost of the Flexity vehicles from the original 182-vehicle Metrolinx order, although each Citadis can carry approximately 1.8 times more passengers. [58] However, with the reduction of the initial Metrolinx order from 182 to 76 Flexity Freedom vehicles, the average cost of Flexity Freedom vehicles rose to $5.2 million per vehicle. [27]
Comparison of competing light rail vehicles [58] | ||
---|---|---|
Flexity Freedom | Citadis Spirit | |
Supplier | Bombardier | Alstom |
Length | 30.8 m | 48.4 m |
Maximum capacity | 251 | 340 |
Maximum speed | 80 km/h | 100 km/h |
Metrolinx has ordered competing vehicle fleets from rivals Bombardier and Alstom to service Line 5 Eglinton. However, only one of the two fleets will be used on that line when it opens. To produce the vehicle order for Metrolinx, Alstom plans to build a plant in Brampton, Ontario that will create 100 to 120 full-time direct jobs. [31]
Comparison of vehicle orders for Line 5 Eglinton [58] [31] | ||
---|---|---|
Flexity Freedom | Citadis Spirit | |
Supplier | Bombardier | Alstom |
Vehicles ordered | 76 | 61 |
Order value | $392 million | $528 million |
Average cost per vehicle | $5.2 million | $8.7 million |
Vehicles in fleet | 76 | 44 [a] |
Fleet capacity | 12,464 passengers | 12,848 passengers |
Cost of fleet | $392 million | $381 million [b] |
Notes: |
The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The subway system is a rail network consisting of three heavy-capacity rail lines operating predominantly underground. As of December 2024, three new lines are under construction: two light rail lines and one heavy rail line.
The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. As of 2017, over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents. An evolution of Alstom's earlier TFS vehicle, most Citadis vehicles are made in Alstom's factories in La Rochelle, Reichshoffen and Valenciennes, France, and in Barcelona, Spain, and Annaba, Algeria.
The Bombardier Flexity Swift is a series of urban and inter-urban tram, light rail and light metro vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. It is part of the Bombardier Flexity family of rail vehicles, and like the others, Flexity Swift vehicles can be customized to suit the needs and requirements of customers including legacy designs from its acquisition of Adtranz.
The Toronto streetcar system is a network of eleven streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is the third busiest light-rail system in North America. The network is concentrated primarily in Downtown Toronto and in proximity to the city's waterfront. Much of the streetcar route network dates from the second half of the 19th century. Three streetcar routes operate in their own right-of-way, one in a partial right-of-way, and six operate on street trackage shared with vehicular traffic with streetcars stopping on demand at frequent stops like buses. Since 2019, the network has used low-floor streetcars, making it fully accessible.
The Bombardier Flexity Outlook is a series of low-floored, articulated light-rail trams manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Part of the larger Bombardier Flexity product line, Flexity Outlook vehicles are modular in design and commonly used throughout Europe.
Transit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced on 16 March 2007 by Toronto mayor David Miller and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) chair Adam Giambrone. The plan called for the construction of seven new light rail lines along the streets of seven priority transit corridors, which would have eventually been integrated with existing rapid transit, streetcar, and bus routes. Other transit improvements outlined in the plan included upgrading and extending the Scarborough RT line, implementing new bus rapid transit lines, and improving frequency and timing of 21 key bus routes. The plan integrated public transportation objectives outlined in the City of Toronto Official Plan, the TTC Ridership Growth Strategy and Miller's 2006 election platform.
Ion, stylized as ION, is an integrated public transportation network in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Keolis and is part of the Grand River Transit (GRT) system, partially replacing GRT's Route 200 iXpress bus service. The section of the bus route serving Cambridge has been renamed "Ion Bus", and renumbered as 302. The first phase commenced operations on June 21, 2019, between the north end of Waterloo and the south end of Kitchener. A future extension of light rail to the downtown Galt area of Cambridge is planned but construction may not begin on that line until 2028. In 2023, Ion LRT had an annual ridership of 4.3 million, and a daily ridership of 11,780.
Line 5 Eglinton, also known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT or the Crosstown, is a light rail transit line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to expand and improve public transportation in the Greater Toronto Area. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of the Toronto subway system. The Crosstown was conceived in 2007 during the administration of Toronto mayor David Miller as part of Transit City, a large-scale transit expansion plan. The line is being constructed in two phases.
Line 6 Finch West, also known as the Finch West LRT, is a light rail transit line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The 10.3-kilometre (6.4 mi), 18-stop line is to extend from Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge–University to the North Campus of Humber Polytechnic in Etobicoke. The line will operate in a dedicated above-ground right-of-way, much of it within Finch Avenue, segregated from street traffic. The line will use transit signal priority and standard gauge rather than the broad Toronto gauge. The line is forecast to carry about 14.6 million rides a year or 40,000 a day by 2031 and will replace the 36B Finch West bus route, which is one of the three busiest bus routes in Toronto. In 2023, Line 6 was expected to open within the first half of 2024, with an estimated cost of CA$2.5 billion. In early December 2024, Councillor Jamaal Myers, chairman of the TTC board, stated that the TTC did not expect Line 6 to open before June 2025 at the earliest. Metrolinx, the project owner, has not announced an opening date.
The Flexity Outlook is the latest model of streetcar in the rolling stock of the Toronto streetcar system owned by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Based on the Bombardier Flexity, they were first ordered in 2009 and were built by Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, with specific modifications for Toronto, such as unidirectional operation and the ability to operate on the unique broad Toronto gauge.
The Hurontario LRT; officially named the Hazel McCallion Line and formerly dubbed the Hurontario–Main LRT, is a light rail line under construction in the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The line will run along Hurontario Street from Mississauga's Port Credit neighbourhood north to Steeles Avenue in Brampton. The line will be built and operated as a public-private partnership by Mobilinx, a consortium of private European and Japanese companies, with provincial transit agency Metrolinx retaining ownership of the line. It will be the only street railway operating in the Greater Toronto Area outside Toronto proper.
The Hamilton LRT is a planned light rail line in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to operate along Main Street, King Street, and Queenston Road. It is one of five planned rapid transit lines which form Hamilton's proposed BLAST network. The 14 km (8.7 mi), 17-stop route is planned to extend from McMaster University to Eastgate Square via downtown Hamilton.
The Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility is a rail yard and vehicle service centre for Line 5 Eglinton of the Toronto subway. The facility is located near the line's western terminus at Mount Dennis station, on lands formerly occupied by Kodak's Toronto campus.
Mount Dennis is an intermodal transit terminal under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located east of the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Weston Road in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood in the district of York, the station will be the western terminus of the future Line 5 Eglinton as well as an intermediate station on the GO Transit Kitchener line and Union Pearson Express. The station has been designated as one of many "mobility hubs" in Greater Toronto.
Oakwood is an underground light rail transit (LRT) station under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. It will be located in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Eglinton Avenue. It was scheduled to open in 2024 but, as of January 2025, its opening has been postponed, with no new opening date provided.
Avenue is an underground light rail transit (LRT) station under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. The station is located in North Toronto on Eglinton Avenue between Avenue Road and Highbourne Road. It is the deepest underground station on the line. Destinations include the Chaplin Estates neighbourhood, Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School, the Eglinton Theatre, and Eglinton Park. The station is scheduled to open in 2024.
Laird is an underground light rail transit (LRT) station under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. It is located in the Leaside neighbourhood in East York at the intersection of Laird Drive and Eglinton Avenue. It is scheduled to open in 2024.
The Alstom Flexity is a family of trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation until 2021, when French company Alstom took over Bombardier. As of 2015, more than 3,500 Flexity vehicles are in operation around the world in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America in 100 cities among 20 countries internationally. Production of the vehicles is done at Bombardier's global production plants and by local manufacturers worldwide through technology transfer agreements.
The Alstom Citadis Spirit is a low-floor articulated light rail vehicle developed by Alstom for Ottawa's O-Train. It is marketed as part of its Citadis family, which includes other models of light rail vehicles, and is based on the Citadis Dualis.
A l'EXPO APTA 2011, Bombardier Transport fait le lancement de sa nouvelle plate-forme de véhicule léger sur rail très éconergétique FLEXITY Freedom, destinée au marché nord-américain. FLEXITY Freedom combine des innovations et des éléments éprouvés tirés de la réputée plate-forme de tramway modulaire FLEXITY pour en faire le véhicule de choix de tout développement futur dans le domaine du transport urbain.
Reflecting Canadian conditions, the trams are designed to cope with heavy snow, featuring heated door thresholds and couplers, heat exchanges on the HVAC, and the ability to cope with snow settling to 355 mm deep on the roof. The underframe will be fabricated from stainless steel to resist corrosion from road gritting salts.
Reflecting Canadian conditions, the trams are designed to cope with heavy snow, featuring heated door thresholds and couplers, heat exchanges on the HVAC, and the ability to cope with snow settling to 355 mm deep on the roof. The underframe will be fabricated from stainless steel to resist corrosion from road gritting salts.
Metrolinx submitted the affidavits in response to an application for an injunction Bombardier filed earlier this month in an attempt to prevent the transit agency from cancelling its contract for 182 LRVs. The documents, which have not been tested in court, paint a scathing picture of Bombardier and allege that the company has irreparably bungled the Crosstown order.
According to sources familiar with the deal, Metrolinx has agreed to purchase 61 cars from French manufacturer Alstom as a backup plan if Bombardier doesn't come through.
The company plans to ship the vehicle to Toronto next month, and has a target of delivering five more by mid-February. It intends to supply the entire fleet of 76 vehicles to Metrolinx, the provincial agency that's building the Crosstown, in time for the line's opening.
The first LRT for the long-awaited east-west transit line will be delivered in November, with Bombardier set to provide another five by February 2019.
The first of the Flexity Freedom LRV are due to be delivered in mid-2016, and will be used on the 19km, 16-station line from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. The $C 92.4m ($US 89.2m) contract will include an option for 16 additional vehicles.
Councillors decided in June 2012 to piggyback on an existing contract that Crown corporation Metrolinx has with Bombardier instead of putting out a request for proposals.
The region's train order will be added to a contract Metrolinx has to buy light rail vehicles for the City of Toronto. Officials said it would lower costs, keep the project on schedule, improve vehicle reliability over a longer period and offer an opportunity to share parts and knowledge.
Marc-André Lefebvre, head of communications with Bombardier Canada, said five of the region's 14 light rail vehicles will be completed in Thunder Bay and the rest will be made in Kingston starting in 2017.
The first Flexity Freedom LRV for the initial phase of the Ion light rail network in the Canadian city of Waterloo was loaded onto a lorry at Bombardier's plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on February 15 in readiness for delivery, which is expected to take 10–12 days.
Alstom has been awarded a firm order for the supply of 61 Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area (GTHA) by Metrolinx, an agency of the Government of Ontario. The value of the contract is over €355 million (CA$529 million). The vehicle supply contract includes an option for additional vehicles.