Bombardier, the rolling stock giant contracted to build the fleet, has missed key deadlines to supply rail cars to agencies in Toronto and London, the latter of which yanked its contract. Best yet:Bombardier is currently seeking a billion-dollar bailout from the federal government in Canada. And as it is, Bombardier is already months late in delivering to BART its first prototype car.
Last week — just days before the current BART mess unfolded and @SFBART revealed itself to be a Millennial disguised as Nixon-era infrastructure — the first Bombardier BART car rolled off the factory floor and onto a flatbed truck for the trek west. That March delivery was, as of last summer, supposed to happen in the fall.
And these new cars are just the first batch of ten, to be used for testing. BART is not scheduled to receive the new cars for full service until next year at the earliest.
Will Bombardier even be a company by then? It's a fair question: the company is currently asking the Canadian government for a billion dollar (as in U.S. dollars) bailout, following labor troubles with workers at one of its factories in Ottawa.
Full story and photos:
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2...ng-deadlines-losing-contracts-seeking-bailout
Last week — just days before the current BART mess unfolded and @SFBART revealed itself to be a Millennial disguised as Nixon-era infrastructure — the first Bombardier BART car rolled off the factory floor and onto a flatbed truck for the trek west. That March delivery was, as of last summer, supposed to happen in the fall.
And these new cars are just the first batch of ten, to be used for testing. BART is not scheduled to receive the new cars for full service until next year at the earliest.
Will Bombardier even be a company by then? It's a fair question: the company is currently asking the Canadian government for a billion dollar (as in U.S. dollars) bailout, following labor troubles with workers at one of its factories in Ottawa.
Full story and photos:
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2...ng-deadlines-losing-contracts-seeking-bailout