TTC streetcars begin trek to Quebec for repairs by Bombardier

In setback for city, 67 vehicles, or one-third of new fleet, face recall to correct welding defect

The TTC has begun taking some of its new streetcars out of service in order to ship them to Quebec as part of a major repair program that will affect dozens of the vehicles.

Bombardier disclosed in July it would have to recall the first 67 cars it had already supplied to the TTC to correct a welding defect, marking another setback for the city’s $1-billion vehicle purchase.

The TTC quietly began taking streetcars out of service two months ago when it put vehicle number 4400 on a flatbed rail car destined for Bombardier’s Welding Centre of Excellence in La Pocatière, Que., on Sept. 7.

A second streetcar was shipped to La Pocatière on Monday, with a third due to be sent early next year.

The TTC had already shipped a test vehicle, marked 4401, to Quebec in May. That car had never entered service, and the repairs won’t directly affect how many streetcars the TTC has available.

Bombardier said in July it would take a total of 19 weeks to ship and repair each vehicle.

However, according to TTC spokesperson Stuart Green, it will take closer to nine months for the first few cars. The car sent to Quebec in September isn’t expected to re-enter service until June 2019.

Subsequent cars should take less time as Bombardier workers “get more experience and optimize their processes,” Green said.

“We’re optimistic that it will be within the first four or five (vehicles).”

The recall will affect almost one-third of the TTC’s new streetcar fleet. The transit agency hasn’t yet finalized a schedule for shipping all of the affected cars to La Pocatière, but will likely send only a few cars at a time. The goal is to complete the repairs within five years while minimizing impact on service.

Green said the agency has to take into account the rate at which new cars are delivered, as well as other issues that will affect car availability, such as the need to overhaul two vehicles that were flooded in August.

“It’s all about keeping service optimized. We can’t take out more cars than we need for service,” he said.

Bombardier has stressed that the welding problem doesn’t pose a safety risk to TTC passengers. It describes the repair program as “preventative maintenance” that it decided to undertake to ensure the cars last their contractual 30-year service life.

In July, Bombardier spokesperson Eric Prud’Homme said such problems were “not uncommon in the industry.”

“The way Bombardier is handling it is fair, is transparent, and of course we’re assuming responsibility,” he said.

The company has said the defect, which originated at its factory in Sahagun, Mexico, is a “lack of fusion” in some of the welds on the car’s skeleton.

A company spokesperson said Wednesday that Bombardier won’t publicly disclose the cost of the repairs, but it has agreed to foot the bill.

The TTC placed the streetcar order in 2009, and since then has faced numerous delays. Bombardier was to have delivered nearly 150 cars by the end of last year, but managed just 57. It recently shipped its 106th car.

The company has successfully increased production in recent months, however, and in the first three months of 2018, it delivered more vehicles than it has in any previous year.

It is set to start producing vehicles at a second facility near Kingston that will complement streetcar production at its factory in Thunder Bay.

Bombardier says it will be able to meet its original commitment of delivering all 204 of the new cars by the end of 2019.