Toronto — Alstom Drops Out

Rail Transit Online, March 2009

The deadline for submitting bids on a fleet of 204 low-floor streetcars passed on Feb. 27 as scheduled with only two manufacturers still in the running. Alstom Transportation Inc., Bombardier Transportation Canada Inc. and Siemens Canada Ltd. had all been invited by the Toronto Transit Commission to participate, but only Bombardier and Siemens presented offers.

The TTC has been under pressure to choose Bombardier by labor unions and officials in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the company has a plant already building subway cars for Toronto. Adding the C$1.25-billion streetcar car deal would create new, high-paying jobs.

But Siemens, which has 13 Canadian plants manufacturing other products, said it would open a new LRV assembly plant in Canada if it won. The commission, which has specified at least 25-percent Canadian content for the new streetcars, is expected to award the contract at its Apr. 27 meeting.