ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

The vehicles aren't the failing component though. Doors aren't freezing shut, motors aren't shutting down in the cold, this is an issue of operating an LRV in icy weather. No other vehicle would operate differently. They knew they were operating an LRV with an overhead power centenary system.

And others have read the Grandlinq contract, it sets explicit requirements for operations in acclimate weather, requirements that Grandlinq is not meeting.

Grandlinq could easily come back with "The OCS isn't failing under the weight of the ice, the substations are supplying power, we've met our requirements. The only reason this doesn't work is that the vehicles aren't suitable for freezing rain, as they lack a second pantograph. We can couple two vehicles and then things work, but you didn't supply us enough vehicles to operate the whole system under those conditions" . A second pantograph, sometimes without current pickup and just a scraper, is a common solution to freezing rain. Something our vehicles weren't designed with, and likely outside Grandlinq's scope of responsibility.

I definitely think it's possible for there to be a reasonable argument that this is a vehicle problem. The problem is occurring at the interface between the region-supplied vehicle, and the Grandlinq-supplied OCS. That leaves room for disputes.

It's quite possible that both second pantographs and advance  application of de-icing gel to the OCS are viable solutions. With both the region and Grandlinq preferring the solution that the other would have to pay for.

I mean, for their update, I'm placing a sizeable bet on the "Our contractor failed us..." line coming out.

That I agree with.

Grandlinqs requirements include operating the trains, not just the catenary power system. They are the operator of the whole system. They are very clearly failing at those requirements. Even if they felt that they could not operate the service in winter, they should have raised that issue. Simply silently failing to meet your contract isn't something that can be excused by "wrong equipment" They are required to KNOW what equipment they need. More, there are systems all over operating trams similar to ours (in some cases almost extremely similar as bombardier based these LRVs on ones sold in Europe) in similar weather conditions and without this problem.

The problem is not our weather conditions or trains, but the terms of the P3 being inadequate or our region being unable or unwilling to enforce those terms. If Grandlinq wants to make weak arguments in their defense of their refusal to meet their contractual obligations, they can make them in court, where they'll lose. But the region does not seem willing to force the issue.