Metrolinx will cut Bombardier out of a little-understood contract in which the Montreal firm has a role in the operation of GO and UP trains, says Canadian Press. Bombardier has apparently had this arrangement for decades — the history is not stated — and collected $100 million taxpayer dollars annually for the work. CP says Metrolinx announced it will seek new operators to take over the commuter and airport rail services after the current contract expires in 2023. The winning bidder to be chosen in about a year will first review the current operations by Bombardier and two other Canadian companies and then operate the services as it quadruples in size to 6,000 trains a week from 1,500. At the same time, Metrolinx more or less surrendered to dealing with Bombardier for the delivery of LRT vehicles after a court found that the train maker had not breached its contract, notwithstanding its late and sloppy performance.
