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QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 15, 2019
MTA ‘ignored’ production issues of new subway cars: Audit
BY VINCENT BARONE
The MTA overlooked
warning signs and failed
to hold the contractor accountable
for delivering now
long-delayed new subway
cars, according to an audit
from City Comptroller Scott
Stringer.
The transit authority is
still waiting on a handful of
new cars in a 300-train order
it took out with manufacturer
Bombardier back in 2012
— cars the MTA expected to
have received nearly three
years ago. The exorbitant
delays have cost the MTA
millions in increased maintenance
fees for the ancient
fleet the new trains were
meant to replace.
The audit, which Stringer’s
office published Monday,
was damning for both
the MTA and Bombardier.
The Canadian manufacturer
missed major milestone
after major milestone in the
$600-million contract, suffering
issues with its train
car welds, castings and a
host of other components;
but the MTA didn’t properly
oversee Bombardier’s
work or penalize them for its
blown deadlines, Stringer
argued.
“The MTA repeatedly
looked the other way. They
ignored clear warning signs;
they failed to enforce deadlines;
they delayed in enacting
penalties,” Stringer
said during a Monday news
conference in Manhattan.
“In other words, the MTA
gave Bombardier a pass.
And what does it mean for
straphangers? More delays,
more breakdowns of outdated
cars.”
Stringer said the mess
of a contract was indicative
of the need for a major overhaul
at the MTA as it sets to
embark on its next five-year,
$51.5 billion spending plan
for major projects.
“The MTA must improve
the management if
we’re going to be successful
with the capital plan…this
cannot be allowed to continue
anymore. It’s what’s
gotten the MTA into trouble
in the first place,” Stringer
said.
To start, it was not clear
to auditors if Bombardier
understood contract terms.
Even though the MTA
required Bombardier to submit
its welding procedures
for the trains, the company
immediately refused to do
so, arguing such procedures
were proprietary. That resulted
in a 21-month backand
forth between the two
parties, during which Bombardier
discovered a significant
welding issue known as
“hot cracking.”
Welding problems halted
production twice during
what was an 18-month delay,
according to the audit.
The new cars (R179s)
have been slated to run on
the A, C, J and Z lines. But
even after the MTA received
the first set — 22 months
behind schedule — the cars
were riddled with problems.
Cars had to be removed
from service at least three
times since 2018 due to issues
with door controls, the
conductor’s valve and other
technical problems, auditors
found.
So far Bombardier has
delivered 298 of its 318 new
train cars, with most in service.
During the delays, the
MTA has spent an additional
$35 million on upkeep for the
oldest cars in its fleet — the
55-year-old R32s — which the
new trains were expected to
replace by the end of 2017.
The MTA has assessed
$36 million in liquidated
damages and negotiated
with Bombardier to deliver
18 additional cars, auditors
reported.
Stringer’s office issued
a host of recommendations,
including for the MTA actually
lean on enforcement
measures when contractors
miss milestones and
for Bombardier to more
promptly relay information
to the authority.
MTA Transit President
Andy Byford said during
a conference call with reporters
that the MTA “held
Bombardier’s feet to the fire
throughout this contract.”
“Let’s be crystal clear.
The villain of the piece here
is not the MTA. The villain
of the piece is Bombardier,
and that comes across not
only in the comptroller’s
report but also in our response,”
Byford said. “Bombardier
let the MTA down,
Bombardier let New Yorkers
down…”
Bombardier did not
immediately respond to a
request for comment. In
its written audit response,
Marie-Claude Galarneau,
Bombardier Transportation’s
regional head of commercial
management, said
the manufacturer suffered
unforeseeable setbacks.
“Bombardier strongly
believes that it is not the sole
party responsible for the delays
in delivering the R179
subway cars,” she said.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer on Monday released a new
audit outlining a host of issues between the MTA and contractor
Bombardier regarding a long-delayed, $600 million
project for new train cars.