REM Train Cars in First Shipment Faulty and Risk of Injury – Report

by

The director of CDPQ-Infra has complained to the consortium that makes the cars that an inspection revealed several manufacturing defects.

Author of the article:

Montreal Gazette

Publication date:

November 12, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 1 minute read • 12 comments

The first REM train cars were unveiled in Brossard on Monday, November 16, 2020. The front car has a low window so children can have a great view of the outside.
The first REM train cars were unveiled in Brossard on Monday, November 16, 2020. The front car has a low window so children can have a great view of the outside. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

A preliminary inspection of rail cars manufactured in India and intended for use on Montreal’s Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) network revealed manufacturing flaws that could pose a “potential risk of injury” to passengers. Radio-Canada reported on Friday.

Citing a letter from the head of the Caisse de dépôt subsidiary that oversees the REM project and addressed to the train manufacturing consortium formed by Alstom and SNC-Lavalin, the report details what the letter said were a series of manufacturing defects. discovered during an inspection of the first batch of rolling stock delivered to Quebec.

The assembly, wiring and finishing of train cars exhibited “a violation of the principles” and best practices for the construction of trains, said Jean-Marc Arbaud, head of CDPQ Infra in the letter to the director of the Eric Appert consortium, adding the quality of the delivered product “was not up to the expected level”.

The photos accompanying the letter show exposed and damaged wiring, an access door that is poorly adjusted and dented, as well as welding problems with bars used by passengers for support.

In his letter, Arbaud also questions the “overall quality” of how the trains are built at the Sri City plant in India, adding that with 30 percent of the trains already completed, there is a “significant risk” that the trains are being built. do more repairs. Arbaud said he was “concerned” by the inspection findings, which he said show that the train contract and best practices have not been followed.

A CDPQ-Infra spokesperson told Radio-Canada that “a trend is developing in certain parts of the production chain that we would like to see corrected,” adding, however, authorities were “very confident” that those corrections would be carried out and the REM project. as a whole it had not been compromised.

Reference-montrealgazette.com

Leave a Comment