The TTC’s aging fleet of Scarborough RT vehicles has a corrosion problem that could cause “catastrophic” structural failures if not addressed soon, and the transit agency plans to award embattled rail manufacturer Bombardier a sole-sourced $6.8-million contract to conduct the urgent repairs.

The TTC uncovered the corrosion issue during an inspection of its fleet that it undertook after council voted to extend the life of Line 3 (Scarborough RT) until the Scarborough subway extension opens a decade from now.

“When we peeled the floors back, we found that some of the vehicles had holes the size of toonies, and a lot of wear,” said Raffaele Trentadue, the TTC’s head of rail cars and shop.

Trentadue said the problem was caused by decades of snow and salt accumulating near the doorsof the 32-year-old vehicles.

The corrosion has affected load-bearing joints of the door post and car-body frames. According to a report going to the TTC board on Thursday requesting funding for the repairs, if the decaying parts aren’t fixed “as soon as possible” the corrosion might compromise the vehicles’ structural integrity. That could “potentially lead to catastrophic vehicle failure and put the service plan of operating the system until 2026 at risk.”

TTC chief operating officer Mike Palmer said there’s “no question” that the vehicles are safe but the TTC needs to take proactive measures to ensure they remain that way.

“From our point of view this is a good news story. This is us not ignoring a problem, and (instead) dealing with it in quality way and in a swift way which also will benefit customers for the next 10 years,” he said.

The TTC first discovered the corrosion in 2015, but Palmer said it took until now to devise a fix for the problem.

The TTC sent one car each to Bombardier and a Montreal-based company called CAD Rail to test each vendor’s repair methods. Third-party consultants determined that only Bombardier was capable of developing a repair that would last 10 years, which is why the TTC is recommending awarding the repair contract to the company on a sole-source basis.

Although Bombardier has faced fierce criticism for its repeated failure to deliver new light rail vehicles for the TTC and Metrolinx, Palmer said comparing the company’s ability to fix corrosion with those projects would be “a bum steer.”

A company that Bombardier later bought built the Line 3 cars, and Bombardier still owns proprietary information about the vehicles. Palmer said the company was best positioned for the repair job, and added that the consultant determined that the price Bombardier quoted for the work is fair.

If the TTC board approves the contract, the vehicles will be shipped by truck more than 300 km to a Bombardier facility in Kanona, New York that specializes in refurbishing rail cars.

The Line 3 fleet consists of 28 vehicles, and all 26 that haven’t already undergone repairs will likely need work.

The TTC has few vehicles to spare however, which means there will be reductions in service. Until the repairs are completed sometime next year Line 3, which carries about 3.4 million people annually, will be down to five trains of four cars each, instead of the usual complement of six trains.

The Scarborough RT was originally supposed to be decommissioned and replaced by an LRT line, which would have necessitated replacement bus service for about four years while the LRT was being built.

That changed in 2013 when council voted to build the controversial Scarborough subway extension instead, and to spend $170 million to extend the Scarborough RT’s life and then tear it down once the subway opened.

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At the time, the subway extension was expected to enter service in 2023, but that has now been pushed back to 2026, meaning the TTC will have to keep the SRT system running for even longer than expected.

Asked whether the Scarborough RT will last that long, Palmer responded “I don’t have a crystal ball.” But he said he was “reasonably confident” that the latest round of repairs will keep them in service for a decade.

The TTC has already repaired the vehicles’ steel-and-fiberglass bodies, overhauled their mechanics, and upgraded the line’s track, signalling, and civil structures. Palmer said the work is paying off and delay minutes have been reduced by a whopping 79.2 per cent since 2014.

“You can keep any vehicle going for as long as you like,” Palmer said, “but obviously, the older they get the more you spend, and the more you have to be innovative.”