New streetcar delays could be in the cards, Byford says

Bombardier may be on the verge of reneggingon its most recent promise to delivernew streetcars by the end of the year, TTCCEO Andy Byford admitted Wednesday.

Byfordtold a meeting of TTCcommissionersthathe has 22of the new streetcars in service now, and that Bombardier has pledged he'llhavea total of 30 by the end of thisyear.

However, given their production schedule so far, "I'm beginning to wonder if we will indeed get 30 by the end of the year.

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"I've had more schedules than streetcars, so I have a healthy skepticism," Byford said.

In additionto 30 cars by the end of 2016, he said the current schedulecalls for another 40 by the end ofnext year, an additional 76 in 2018, and the full order 204 new streetcars by the end of 2019.

"That schedule looks unrealistic," he said. Even so, there's little the TTC can do, "other than us building the cars ourselves," Byford said.

"Up their game"

"They've delayed, delayed, delayed, but the end date doesn't shift," he told the commissioners. "They're going to have to up theirgame."

He said Bombardier has said it's settingup a second production line at its Thunder Bay plant to fill the TTC order, but that line won't be up and running until early next year.

Late last year, the TTC voted to sue Bombardier over the delays.

In 2009, the TTC paid Bombardier more than $1-billion for 204streetcars, By late last year, only 10 had been delivered.

Bombardier has blamed the delays on faulty parts from its supplier in Mexico, labour trouble, the intricate nature of the new streetcars and staff changes.