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Of course they won't squeal like the old ones, since they're not 25-35 years old. Let's wait till 2035-2040 and see how they bad things get.

The squealing I'm referring to comes from the non-tangent angle of the wheel to rail interface. The worse that angle is, the worse squealing will be at low speeds on tight corners. It has nothing to do with the age of the vehicle and would not increase over time. Fixed-bogie trams need a larger wheelbase otherwise the ride quality suffers. It's a trade off in design.

However, as others have pointed out, it is not much of an issue I guess (it was in Gold Coast with their new FLEXITY 2 trams, which use the same core architecture), so something has been done in Toronto to mitigate the noise.
 
Let's wait till 2035-2040 and see how they bad things get.
By 2035 the last of the 204 ordered units will likely only be 10-15 years old from delivery.

The below, best case chart from the TTC shows the final units arriving in 2020. Based on Bombardier's performance thus far, I'd say the final unit(s) arrive sometime in 2023-25.

2015scfleetplanc.jpg
 
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The squealing I'm referring to comes from the non-tangent angle of the wheel to rail interface. The worse that angle is, the worse squealing will be at low speeds on tight corners. It has nothing to do with the age of the vehicle and would not increase over time. Fixed-bogie trams need a larger wheelbase otherwise the ride quality suffers. It's a trade off in design.

There are all sorts of ways to combat this noise. One is to use resilient wheelsets. Another is to use skirting over the wheels and trucks. Another common one is to incorporate equipment which adds a very small amount lubricant to the rail.

In the case of the TTC's Flexities, they have all three.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
Can you elaborate on the "resilient wheel sets"?

Basically, each wheel is made of a number of different pieces - the rim & tread, body and hub - and these pieces are joined together with an isolating medium (frequently rubber).

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
What can Byford, or anyone else, actually do at this point? Bombardier has been cajoled, pleaded with, and threatened, and nothing seems to have helped. Short of dumping them completely and putting the contract out for tender again (which wouldn't like get our cars faster) what are the actual options?
 
What can Byford, or anyone else, actually do at this point? Bombardier has been cajoled, pleaded with, and threatened, and nothing seems to have helped. Short of dumping them completely and putting the contract out for tender again (which wouldn't like get our cars faster) what are the actual options?

well it looks like unless theres a dramatic improvement, the era of Bbr equipment may be over for future orders. I think the best option now is really to backcharge them for alrv rebuilds, 1 free car for every car late based on their 5th (or however many) revised sched and a ban from all future bids
 
If there is a pending lawsuit against Bombardier (which I totally support--we need to hit those bastards HARD), it would be wise for the TTC to watch what they say.
 
The silence this month has been so deafening that this looks less and less like a production or supply chain problem, and more and more like something that the lawyers have imposed absolute silence on.

I can't imagine that Bombardier would actually down tools and decline to deliver, but who knows. That's pretty hardball negotiation if it's the case.

I'm also surprised that no one on UT has a friend in Thunder Bay. This must be getting talked about in the supermarkets up there. Makes no sense that there is no output but there are no layoffs in process.

- Paul
 
I thought the TTC was on the hook for cancelling the SRT LRT project? Why not just refuse to pay the penalty in retaliation for all these late streetcars and broken contract?
 
I thought the TTC was on the hook for cancelling the SRT LRT project? Why not just refuse to pay the penalty in retaliation for all these late streetcars and broken contract?

I think that for all TTC projects with the Flexity Freedoms should be cancelled and re-tendered.

2021 is still far away enough and these cars are supposed to be stock, not some special order like the streetcars.
 
TTC Press Release:

Fifteenth new TTC streetcar enters service

February 1, 2016

The TTC's newest low-floor streetcar, car number 4416, entered service on the 510 Spadina route in time for this afternoon's rush hour. There are now a total of 15 new streetcars in service on the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes.

All of the new accessible streetcars are equipped with PRESTO machines and ticket validators to allow customers to pay their fare. The machines will also allow customers without a smart card to purchase a single-ride Proof-of-Payment (POP) ticket using coins or tokens.

The new streetcars are fully accessible for customers using mobility devices, and are more comfortable to ride, featuring a higher passenger capacity and air conditioning.

All TTC streetcar routes are POP, allowing customers with a transfer or valid TTC pass to board at any door.

The TTC's low-floor streetcar project is jointly funded by the Government of Canada Federal Gas Tax Fund, the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto.
 

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