TORONTO — Dozens of streetcars delivered to the Toronto Transit Commission from Bombardier Transportation's Thunder Bay assembly plant will be removed from service to fix a welding defect.
The problem did not originate in Thunder Bay, however.
The defect has been traced to a Bombardier plant in Mexico which provides structural elements for the cars.
In a statement, Bombardier said it needs to do "preventive welding maintenance" on 67 streetcars produced up to 2017.
The vehicles will be sent in batches to the company's Welding Centre of Excellence in La Pocatiere, Quebec for remedial work.
Bombardier began an investigation into the problem 18 months ago.
"There are 1,600 meters of welding per TTC tramway, so you can understand the level of scrutiny, investigation, data collection and structural calculation, and coordination involved before we all came to a conclusion, with regards to an issue that pertains to a few millimeters of welding," the statement said.
It added that "welding issues are not uncommon in the industry," and Bombardier "has been proactive and responsible to ensure the cars meet the expected longevity."
According to the company, the defects currently pose no safety issues.
But TTC spokesperson Brad Ross called the discovery of the problem "incredibly disappointing."
The commission learned last fall that repairs were needed, however, Ross said it decided to take delivery of the cars, knowing that Bombardier would take corrective action.
"It was more important to us to have those cars available for service," he said.
The TTC's order for 204 streetcars has been marred by missed delivery targets, but more recently Bombardier has successfully implemented measures to achieve the production goals.
The company insists it will meet the contractual deadline for delivery of all the vehicles by the end of 2019.
