It’s news that three years ago would have seemed unthinkable to many Toronto transit riders, but Bombardier says it’s within touching distance of meeting the deadline for delivering the TTC’s new streetcar fleet. According to the Quebec-based manufacturer, as of July it has produced 166 vehicles for the $1-billion, 204-car order, which is supposed to be complete by the end of 2019. In the second quarter of this year Bombardier says it produced 23 of the cars, and if it maintains that rate it would be able to supply the remaining 38 in the final six months of the year.Meeting the year-end deadline would mark a major turnaround for a company that in earlier phases of the order appeared to be floundering as manufacturing problems led to it falling short of its production commitments, even as it repeatedly revised them downward. “We made significant investments over the last two years to deliver on our promise. For the second year in a row, we have doubled the number of TTC’s streetcars manufactured in Thunder Bay and Kingston and we are on track to meet our commitment to complete the delivery of the remaining cars by the end of 2019,” said Bombardier spokesperson Eric Prud’Homme in an email. The 23 cars produced in the second three months of this year are the most the company has supplied in any quarter for the TTC’s streetcar order, which the transit agency placed in 2009.Read more: TTC, Bombardier reach settlement over delayed streetcarsTTC official raised red flags about Bombardier streetcar quality controlEditorial | Bombardier has played Torontonians for fools on new streetcarsAccording to the TTC, as of Thursday the agency had received 162 of the vehicles. Bombardier said the other four were en route to Toronto. In recent years Bombardier’s well-documented production woes have frustrated Toronto politicians, TTC officials and riders, and put the company under heavy scrutiny. After signing the deal with the ...
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