A major setback for the region’s long-awaited ION light rail service.

Following months of assurances that the municipality was on track to roll-out full ION LRT service by this spring, it’s getting delayed to the end of the year.

A report coming to council next week says as a result of late deliveries, the region has no choice but to push back the start date to December of 2018.

The six-month setback is being blamed on Bombardier, which to this day has only shipped four rail cars to the region.

“We really need to see these 14 vehicles in our possession,” says Regional Councillor Sean Strickland. “Unfortunately, we [have] a great track, construction’s all done, but we don’t have any rail cars to run on the track.”

Following delivery of the first vehicle, Bombardier was projecting delivery of all 14 vehicles by December 2017, and that was used to develop a schedule that projected the start of service for June 2018.

The report adds that over the last five weeks, the region, Bombardier and GrandLinq staff have been meeting to develop a new schedule.

Strickland says the remaining 10 vehicles will be delivered by June under a revised contract, with two more shipping shortly.

“Based on that, there’s no way that we can have the system functioning and safe for everyone by the spring of this year,” says Strickland.

The vehicles will then have to undergo extensive testing and be married up with the electronics in the track system.

The report will be presented to regional councillors for information only on Wednesday night.

Strickland says it’s very disappointing, but he remains hopeful that Bombardier will meet the new target.

“Getting the cars here is the first significant milestone,” he says. “If they don’t deliver by June of this year, they will be subject to even more penalties.”