Problems with Azur métro trains first noticed in December, STM says
Montreal’s transit agency said it first noticed problems with the contact shoes on Azur trains in December, but didn’t think the damage was significant enough to warrant further investigation.
On Monday, the Société de transport de Montréal announced it was parking its brand-new Azur trains indefinitely after contact between a contact shoe (the piece at the bottom of the train that comes into contact with electric current throughout the network to power the trains) and signalling equipment on the track in the Du Collège métro caused major damage to several Azur trains, and one older MR-73 model train. The incident happened mid-afternoon Saturday, and caused the entire Orange Line to be shut down until the following morning.
All 12 of the Azur trains were taken out of service pending an investigation into the cause of the problem. The damage to the track and the trains has been repaired.
On Tuesday, STM spokesperson Amélie Régis said maintenance crews noticed some minor damage to the contact shoes back in December. She denied a report from Radio-Canada saying that crews had noticed “abnormal” wear and tear on the equipment.
“Nothing was abnormal in the context of safe operation of the trains,” Régis said. “Furthermore, we did checks at night and didn’t notice any anomaly on the tracks.”
The STM is investigating the cause of the problem, saying it’s not clear the new $2.4-billion Azur cars are to blame. There could be a problem on the tracks.
Régis said a preliminary report will probably be ready by Wednesday afternoon.
Opposition Projet Montréal said it would like more information about the whole incident, dating back to December.
“I’m concerned about how casually the safety of passengers has been treated in this file,” Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante said in a statement. “If the wear and tear on the contact shoes forced them to come apart, how can we be sure that the safety of passengers was not compromised?”
She said she wonders if the STM’s directors held back on the decision to ground the Azur fleet because it would be bad optics.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre blasted the opposition, calling Plante’s comments irresponsible.
“I think if there are people that are saying there was a safety problem, it’s very irresponsible,” he told reporters. “At a certain moment you have to stop questioning the work ethic of these people. The people on the ground, I met with the technicians, do you think it’s in their interest to endanger the security of the public? I think even to suggest that shows you still have some things to learn about politics.”