Alstom Dumps Key Light-Rail Repair Project

I would love a reporter to go through this report and randomly pick out ten or twelve terms that appear to be essential to the understanding of the report. They can then approach a few members of the Transit Commission and/or other councillors and ask them what the terms mean in the context of LRT. I would venture a guess that none of them could adequately explain said terms in layman’s language even though they will invariably accept the report. How can you vote on a report filled with language and terms that the average councillor will not understand?

Second, in the section on accessibility impacts, there are some incredible statements. It quotes one of their mission statements as ” We promise to deliver safe, clean, dependable, and accessible public transit.” and goes on then to say “The vehicles identified in this report are fully accessible light rail vehicles.”.

Does this mean that they think that as long as Suzy can get on and off and move around in the train car that means it’s accessible? Well, here’s a reality check for them! If the physically accessible train car is in the shop on Belfast Road and not at the station to pick Suzy up, does that constitute providing accessible service?

Have they ever, since the first passenger got on the first train, provided safe, dependable and/or accessible service? I’ll give them ‘clean’ service which is, of course, so much easier when you’re not having any customers on the train because it’s out of service.