The City of Edmonton has ended its contract with Thales for the Metro Line LRT.
Mayor Don Iveson addressed the Notice of Termination Tuesday, after Thales went public with the change earlier in the day.
“This isn’t about picking a scapegoat, as Thales has characterized it,” Iveson said. “This is about accountability and standing up for Edmontonians. You deserve a system that works.“
The City issued a Notice of Default on May 1, 2018, and Thales committed to a completion date of December 4, 2018. The signaling system underwent testing and the City determined that it is not ready or reliable.
“After more than five years of delays, it is clear that Thales cannot deliver the signaling system we were promised,” City Manager Linda Cochrane said. “This is not the outcome we wanted. It was in all of our best interest – the City of Edmonton, for Thales and for Edmontonians – to get the signaling system that we hired Thales to deliver. But at some point, we had to call it and we did.”
The Metro Line will continue operating at its current capacity while work begins on an alternative signaling system.
The decision to terminate the contract was unanimously supported by City Council. The City intends to recover all the costs associated with the Thales signaling system.
“We will now vigorously defend the interests of Edmontonians through the legal processes that unfold from here,” Mayor Iveson said. “You deserve a system that works.”
