Three-quarters of Ion fleet to undergo unexpected repairs
Bombardier to supply extra free train while ‘warranty’ fixes made
WATERLOO REGION — A problem with the welding in three-quarters of the region’s fleet of Ion trains means the trains will undergo special repairs over the next two years.
The problem is serious enough that Bombardier, the manufacturer, is supplying another brand-new Ion vehicle free of charge so that the system has enough trains and spares to run while the repairs are carried out.
The cost of a single new Ion vehicle is about $9 million.
“This is a very expensive fix for them (Bombardier), and we’re not bearing any of the cost,” said regional Coun. Tom Galloway, who chairs the Region of Waterloo’s transportation committee.
The problem with the welds was discovered as part of Bombardier’s computer modelling of how the vehicles are expected to perform over their 30-year anticipated lifetime, Galloway said. The modelling showed that vehicle frames might crack prematurely over the course of that 30 years.
The problem was caught after 11 Ion trains had been produced, Galloway said, so that the final four Ion trains shipped to the region don’t need any repair. The existing fleet is between one and two years old.
There is no safety concern with any of the Ion vehicles, Galloway emphasized.
“There are no cracks,” he said. “There’s no safety issue at all. It’s a warranty thing that’s been identified and they’re making good on it. We don’t have any cracks. We don’t anticipate there being any cracks, but we want to make sure we can get all of this fixed under warranty.”
“For us, it’s all about life cycle, making sure we’re able to operate these trains for 30 years,” said Peter Zinck, the region’s director of transit services.
Only one train will be repaired at a time, and it must be disassembled so crews can make the fixes to the frames, then reassem
bled. “The whole process per train is several weeks of work, then there’s 11 trains to do,” Zinck said. “That why it’s going to take about two years to get the work done.”
The repairs will be done by a Bombardier team at the Ion maintenance building in Waterloo.
At peak service levels, the system needs 12 trains in operation, with two spares to fill in when vehicles undergo routine maintenance. To ensure the region has its full fleet complement, Bombardier is providing a loaner train for the two or so years that the repairs take place.
The 15th Ion vehicle will be delivered to the region in late 2020 or early next year at no cost, Zinck said. It will take a couple of months after that for the spare train to be tested, fully commissioned and ready for full passenger service. Repairs won’t happen until the loaner train is ready to take passengers. The new train, which is being built now, will have the Ion colours and will be virtually identical to the other Ion trains, with three cars and the same seating arrangement.
The region’s original 14 Ion trains cost about $6.6 million apiece in 2013, because their purchase was rolled into a bigger Metrolinx train order. To buy the train today “would be closer to $9 million,” Galloway said.
The region doesn’t get to keep the loaner train after the repairs are complete, he said. Bombardier retains the vehicle and can later sell it to another customer.