Toronto pursuing sole-sourced deal for new TTC trains in wake of U.S. tariffs

The TTC is pursuing a sole-source contract with train-builder Alstom to deliver new subway cars for Toronto’s subway system, the city announced Friday.

The bulk of the new cars will run on Line 2. Alstom has facilities in both Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ont.

In a news release issued Friday morning, officials said both the federal and provincial governments, alongside the city, gave the TTC the go-ahead to pursue a single-source contract “in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty” in order to support Ontario workers.

“Torontonians need fast and reliable transit. With our Line 2 subway cars coming to the end of their lifespan, we’re partnering with Provincial and Federal governments to buy new trains to keep TTC riders moving,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement. 

“Together, we’re building a better transit system and supporting Canadian workers and jobs in this challenging trade climate.”

Bidders have been notified that the competitive process for the train contract has been cancelled, according to the news release.

Officials say the base procurement is for 70 six-car train sets in total — 55 to replace aging trains on Line 2, and 15 trains for the Yonge North and Scarborough extensions.

The contract also includes options to buy additional trains if more funding is committed and “subject to Alstom’s performance,” according to the news release.

“The TTC is working diligently to ensure the aging Line 2 fleet operates safely and reliably until new trains arrive,” the news release goes on to say.

It is expected that negotiations will occur over the next few months with a report back to the TTC board on the status of negotiations by the end of the year.

The Ford government had expressed its desire to see the train cars built in the province amid the ongoing trade war with the U.S. All three levels of government have committed money to buy the new rolling stock, which is expected to cost some $2.3 billion.

“Our government is proud to protect Ontario from U.S tariffs by ensuring the TTC’s Line 2 subway trains will be made in Ontario, by Ontario workers,” said Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in a statement.

The current, almost 30-year-old trains, as regular commuters will tell you, are nearing the end of their lifespan and are vastly different from the Toronto Rocket trains that service Line 1. 

Those trains were built in Thunder Bay by Bombardier, before that company’s train-making division was purchased by Alstom, a French company that operates in 63 different countries.   

Chow previously said new subway cars would support new signals and technology that will allow them to arrive more frequently. 

In total, the TTC runs 143 trains on its subway system, which sees 1.1 million customer boardings per weekday, according to the transit agency CEO’s latest report. 

As of March, Line 2 accounted for some 419,000 of those boardings. That figure is expected to top 661,000 daily boardings by 2041, according to Chow’s office. The Gardiner, in comparison, has capacity for some 140,000 vehicles per day.

The TTC is also working on a plan to extend the lifespan of the current trains.