CANADA: Vancouver transport agency TransLink has awarded Bombardier Transportation a C$722·6m contract to supply 205 automated light metro cars for the SkyTrain network.
The order announced on December 17 includes 125 cars to replace first-generation vehicles which entered service in 1985 and to support the Broadway Subway extension, plus 80 cars to increase capacity on the Expo and Millennium Lines. There are options for up to 400 additional cars, which may be required for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain project.
The order has been placed as part of the Expo Millennium Line Upgrade project, which is being funded with C$1·47bn from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Programme with contributions from the federal and provincial governments as well as the city.
‘This will be the largest fleet procurement order we’ve ever undertaken’, said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond. ‘These new SkyTrain cars will not only help replace our ageing fleet, but also prepare Metro Vancouver’s transit system for the upcoming SkyTrain expansion. Bombardier has been selected following a thorough evaluation process and we look forward to once again working with them to renew and expand our SkyTrain fleet.’
Unlike the original trainsets which were formed as married pairs, the new trains will be supplied as 41 five-car units. They will be designed at Bombardier Transportation’s North American headquarters in St-Bruno, Quebec and assembled and tested at Kingston, Ontario. The first is expected to arrive in 2023, with all to be in service by the end of 2027.
Bombardier Transportation supplied the original SkyTrain system, electrical and mechanical systems for the 2002 extension, and three generations of automated vehicles.
The latest trainsets will include technology upgrades and enhancements including a modernised cab, a ‘refreshed’ interior configuration with seating and multi-purpose areas, bicycle racks and passenger information screens.
‘We value our long-term partnership with TransLink and our role in supporting the public transit system that makes Vancouver one of the world’s most liveable cities’, said Elliot G Sander, President, Americas Region, Bombardier Transportation. ‘The new cars will be designed, assembled and tested in Canada, which makes us very proud. We look forward to continuing to meet the mobility requirements of the growing Metro Vancouver region and contributing to its sustainable development.’
