The TTC took delivery of the last streetcar in its 204-vehicle, $1-billion order from Bombardier on Friday.

At around 9 a.m., streetcar No. 4603 rolled off the flatbed railcar that carried it the 1,400 kilometres from Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant to the TTC’s Hillcrest Yard. The delivery means Bombardier missed the order’s end-of-2019 deadline but just by over three weeks, a feat that three years ago looked nearly impossible as the company repeatedly proved incapable of meeting deadlines.

The final car’s arrival caps an 11-year transit saga filled with manufacturing delays, frustration for riders, and ultimately a remarkable turnaround for Bombardier.

Here’s how we got to this point:

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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