04-14-2018, 06:58 PM
(04-14-2018, 04:09 PM)JoeKW Wrote: So, is this really mostly Bombardiers fault? Didn't the region ask them to hold trains back until a few weeks ago?
Actually, pretty much all their fault.
Bombardier being a less than fully competent corporation is common knowledge. They are also well know for missing delivery deadlines The thing that adds insult to injury is the amount of corporate welfare they have received from federal governments over the years. All the while being a public company with shareholders. Just over a year ago they received just shy of $400 million from the federal government "to create new jobs". Apparently those new jobs haven't resulted in vehicles being manufactured and shipped to our region as promised. Ironically, just a few months after receiving the funds from the government, Bombardier execs voted themselves $32 million in bonuses.
In Toronto's LRT project, Metrolinx became increasingly frustrated with Bombardiers incompetency and asked a court for the right to cancel a contract with Bombardier as they doubted their ability to complete vehicle orders. Metrolinx managed to reduce the size of their order from 182 vehicles to 76 and awarded a second company called Alstom to build vehicles instead.
Fortunately, the Region's LRT project started ahead of the proposed Hamilton and Mississauga projects. Can you imagine where we would be at if all four projects were under construction/production during the same time period and there was an even larger demand for vehicles?. Yikes.