ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[sevenman]

Actually, pretty much all their fault.

I'm curious, how do you propose that they could have delivered completed trains to the region any earlier when Metrolinx refused to sign off on a spec once the Transit City projects for which the original order was placed were all cancelled or delayed?

Even after they had a spec they could build and deliver to in mid-2016, the Communications Based Train Control signalling system remained unspecified, hence the hole in the dashboard we all witnessed at the open houses.  I can only assume that that gap has been closed now, but it would only have happened very recently.

Unfortunately Bombardier can't blame Metrolinx as they are still a major customer of theirs, and the region can't blame Metrolinx as they still want Phase 2 funding, so the only party that gets publicly named and shamed is Bombardier.  Are they blameless?  I'm sure not, but I do feel sorry for them for getting 100% of the blame in the public press / mindset while only being partially responsible for the overall delays.

Hi Kevin,

  I'm not sure, but why would Metrolinx go to court to cancel an order/contract with Bombardier if the delay in the order was partially Metrolinx's fault?  Doesn't make sense.

  The train that was sent to the open house was sent for p.r. purposes which was great but there were over 1500 deficiencies on that vehicle.  In other words, it was missing a whole lot more than the Communications Based Train Control signalling system.  That vehicle was never going to stay.

On your third paragraph, I think the "major customer" label went out the window when Metrolinx tried to cancel a $700 million dollar contract.  
  Additionally, Metrolinx has ZERO to do with any funding for anything going on in the ROW so they're not worried about blame.  Any funding for Phase 2, if it comes, will come directly from the provincial government of the day and certainly won't require Metrolinx's approval.  Metrolinx has no involvement outside the GTA.  They oversee an area from Hamilton to Oshawa to Barrie.  That's it.  

"The only party that gets publicly named and shamed is Bombardier".  That's because there's no one left.     

Last September (2017), Tom Galloway told us that all trains were "either complete or in production and have vehicles to us, at least be assembled, by the end of this year."
Who do you think gave him that information, Metrolinx?!  Bombardier clearly lied or misled Tom.