Quebec City requests postponement of Alstom streetcar manufacturing contract

Realizing that it would not be able to meet the November 10 deadline associated with the contract to manufacture the tram trains, Quebec City asked the French multinational Alstom to postpone this deadline to the first half of 2024. It is not clear whether this will have an impact on the cost And the delivery dates for the giant project or not.

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The delay in concluding the main infrastructure contract is already having repercussions for the other part (the trailers) of the tramway.

Last spring, the city granted a $5 million “contractual advance” to Alstom by signing a contract to purchase the rolling stock. At the time, Marchand’s management expected that the license to begin manufacturing rolling stock would be officially granted to the multinational company on November 10, after receiving the green light from the Quebec Cabinet.

The date has been postponed

However, it now seems impossible for this government mandate to arrive on time, given that the “infrastructure” part of the tram procurement process is still being implemented.

Technical bids from the competing federation(s) were submitted on 24 August, and financial bids are expected by 2 November.

“The city will have to wait before granting permission to Alstom to start manufacturing rolling stock. Quebec City has already informed Alstom of this date [du 10 novembre] “It will be postponed to the first half of 2024,” said the spokeswoman for the tram project office, Myriam Bard-Dumont. Newspaper.

What is the effect?

Since the contract between the city and Alstom is not public, it is impossible to know what impact this new deadline will have on the mega project.

“All adjustments to the completion schedule and resulting impacts are subject to contractual terms. We will therefore hold discussions in due course with Alstom to determine the potential financial impact, if this is the case.^I Cool Dumont. According to her, “According to the terms of the contract, Alstom does not have the possibility to terminate the contract before a certain period [dont la durée est confidentielle] “.

On Alstom’s side, Alstom’s spokesman, Adrian Vernhuis, was equally evasive. “It is too early to determine the potential financial impact. There are provisions stipulated in the contract in the event of changes to the schedule. We will have discussions in due course with our partner on this matter.”

At the beginning of September, in an editorial interview with NewspaperQuebec Mayor Bruno Marchand confirmed that he is not concerned about the upcoming discussions with Alstom.