On 15/7/19 11:35 am, Prescott wrote:
> Not true that the streetcar order went to Bombardier without tender.

> There were two other tenders but the politicians had already decided

> that it would go to Bombardier. When the other tenderers found out

> they were furious as preparing a tender involves a lot of cost. Anyway

> the politicians got what they deserved, a pity for the streetcar

> operation - betrayed by both politicians and Bombardier.


And it's really that factory.

Bombardier APAC got the Melbourne order on a similar 'must have local
content' politics, but after a slow start, the E class trams are a good
solid tram.

Bombardier Europe are supplying many trams on time and in working order.
Every thing that Bombardier Canada appears to be incapable of.  Head
office is making a mess, but the remote subsidiaries are doing well anyway.

Bombardier biggest European stuff up appears to be the Helsinki
Variotrams which never worked properly, wrong tram for the environment
it seems. After 10 years of trying they had to take them back.
Bombardier tried (and appears to have failed) in interesting RNV in the
Helsinki trams (being a successful Variotram operator and the same track
gauge). It would appear after shipping two Helsinki trams to Mannheim
with the objective of putting  them into service and convincing RNV to
take the rest has failed, with the trams sitting unmodified up the back
of the workshops. They are out of gauge for the tunnel routes in on the
RNV network it seems and the necessary modifications some what expensive.