Canada: The regional rail system Exo (RTM), which provides passenger service in the Greater Montreal, has launched a six-coach push-pull train on the Saint-Jérôme line. The remaining 38 coaches will be in service by summer 2025.
According to Exo, the trains are 30% localised. Twelve local component suppliers delivered doors, windows, bellows and control systems.
The CRRC double-decker for Exo. Source: Exo
It has been a long-awaited event. The contract, signed in 2017, with an option of 2019, included the production of 36 intermediate and eight head coaches at a cost of C$ 206 mln (US$ 150.8 mln). Initially, deliveries were postponed for almost three years from June 2019 to February 2022 due to the impact of the global pandemic, changes in design documentation, and authorities’ requirement to improve the localisation level. The subsequent postponement for more than a year was the result of communication issues between coaches, caused by a fault in components from a Canadian supplier.
Similar delays have resulted in the cancellation of a contract for the CRRC’s double-deck coaches in the USA.