Landmark agreement with Toronto Transit Commission is largest single order for light rail vehicles in the world
Bombardier Transportation announced today that it has signed a contract with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for the supply of 204 100% low-floor streetcars to replace the City of Toronto’s aging fleet of vehicles. The contract is valued at approximately $851 million CDN ($735 million US, 523 million euros). Deliveries for the 204-vehicle order are scheduled to take place between 2012 and 2018, with the first prototype vehicles arriving in 2011. Under the agreement, up to an additional 400 vehicles could be ordered at a later date as part of Toronto’s Transit City Plan to expand the existing streetcar network with 120 kilometers of new double-track streetcar lines.
The contract represents the largest single order ever for light rail vehicles worldwide and solidifies Bombardier’s position as the world’s leading provider of light rail technology. Bombardier now has more than 2,700 trams and light rail vehicles operating or on order in cities across Europe, Australia and North America.
“This is an important advancement for public transit in Toronto and a strategic contract for Bombardier,” said Raymond Bachant, President, Bombardier Transportation, North America. “We greatly appreciate the dedicated effort put forth by the TTC, the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario in bringing this contract to a successful conclusion. We appreciate the trust the city has placed in us with this very special project.”
Grego Peters, President, Light Rail Vehicles, Bombardier Transportation commented: ”We are proud to receive this impressive order and delighted to adapt our proven BOMBARDIER FLEXITY streetcar technology – which is today operating successfully in cities across Europe – for one of North America’s premier urban centers.”
The new vehicles are based on FLEXITY 100% low-floor, light rail technology modified to TTC specifications and special requirements of Toronto’s streetcar network. The five-module, uni-directional vehicles with all-wheel drive are more than 28 meters long and 2.54 meters wide. The new vehicles will provide improved reliability and operating performance for the TTC along with a wide range of features, including a step-less interior allowing easy access at street level; car capacity for more than 240 passengers; increased heating and air conditioning capacity; improved customer comfort; enhanced accessibility, safety and other interior features; locations for bicycles, wheelchairs and strollers; more efficient passenger boarding and exiting; improved communications features; and a regenerative braking system that feeds power back into the TTC network.
More than 450 FLEXITY low-floorvehicles are in successful revenue service in Linz and Innsbruck (Austria), Lodz (Poland), Eskisehir (Turkey), Geneva (Switzerland), Brussels (Belgium), Marseille (France) as well as in Valencia and Alicante (Spain). FLEXITY low-floor vehicles will also soon enter service in Palermo (Italy), Augsburg and Krefeld (Germany).
Final assembly of the new vehicles for Toronto will take place at Bombardier production facilities in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
About Bombardier Transportation
As the global leader in rail technology, Bombardier Transportation offers the broadest portfolio in the rail industry and delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. Bombardier’s ECO4 technologies – built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology – conserve energy, protect the environment and help to improve total train performance. Bombardier Transportation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and has a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.
Note to Editors
Photo: TTC 100% low-floor streetcar
BOMBARDIER, FLEXITY and ECO4 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.
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