“Toronto was supposed to have 121 new streetcars by now. We have received only 35. That’s the crux of the problem with the state of the TTC’s $1-billion contract with Bombardier for 204 low-floor Flexity streetcars to be delivered by 2019. Almost eight years into the deal, Bombardier has repeatedly failed to meet its delivery deadlines, demonstrated quality-control problems that have dragged on for years, and promised that improvements that would double or triple the speed of delivery were around the corner.
“In the meantime, the TTC has had to pay millions to keep its old fleet on the road while we wait, and has sometimes been forced to supplement overloaded lines with bus service that draws capacity from other parts of the city. When the old cars break down — sometimes disabling an entire line — people are left standing on street corners in the cold. We need those streetcars. And once we get them, we like them and so does the TTC…”