Following news of Bombardier laying off half its workforce at a railway car plant in Thunder Bay, Ont., the Toronto Transit Commission says its major contract with the manufacturer is not expected to face an impact.
Bombardier announced on Wednesday its intention to lay off 550 of its railway car workers in the northwestern Ontario city beginning in November as two of its major contracts in the Greater Toronto Area come to a close.
The TTC ordered 204 streetcars from Bombardier for $1 billion back in 2009, but fulfilling the delivery has been marred by delays and service issues. Thus far, 166 of the streetcars have been delivered, with the final 38 expected to arrive by the end of the year.
Given the layoffs will only occur as the contract winds down, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green doesn鈥檛 expect it to cause any further delays to Bombardier鈥檚 streetcar production.
鈥淎ll indications are that the contract will be completed,鈥� Green told 愛污传媒 Toronto. 鈥淲e have no reason to believe that they won鈥檛 arrive on time.鈥�
Green added the TTC will be in the market for another 60-100 streetcars in the near future and would welcome a bid from Bombardier.
The other Toronto-area contract with Bombardier, Metrolinx鈥檚 $428-million deal for 125 two-level GO Transit commuter rail cars, is slated for completion in early 2020.
