North Bay plant to refurbish GO Transit vehicles built in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay - The Alstom plant in Thunder Bay is not the only facility in Northern Ontario to benefit from the Metrolinx double-decker GO Transit vehicle refurbishment.

The provincial government announced Monday that it will spend $350 million to refurbish 121 passenger cars at the Ontario Northland facility in North Bay, which is Crown-owned.

Earlier this month, the government announced a $500 million contract with Alstom to refurbish 181 units at its Thunder Bay plant.

Justin Roberts, president of Unifor Local 1075, said nearly 1,000 double-decker vehicles used by GO Transit were all built here.

"I'm not happy that work is moving to North Bay instead of here, but at the same time, I guess that facility needs to stay open too. I'm sure that's why the government is spreading the work around."

Roberts was somewhat surprised by the size of the contract awarded to Ontario Northland, saying the company's facility is relatively small and he didn't know it could handle "a contract as large as ours."

He said he hopes Alstom will take on the refurbishment of the hundreds of double-decker units that will need updating in the future.

The company said the contract with Thunder Bay, announced Jan. 15, will provide work for 250 employees until 2030.

The Ontario Northland contract requires its North Bay remanufacturing and repair centre to equip train cars with new interiors, including seats, flooring, walls, ceilings, new doors and HVAC control systems.

This work is exactly the same as what is done on vehicles that go to Thunder Bay for upgrades.

Most of the workforce at both plants is represented by Unifor.

Roberts said he hasn't heard whether Alstom has offered to refurbish all of the vehicles in Thunder Bay.

The company did not immediately respond to Newswatch's inquiry on the matter.

A spokesperson for Ontario Northland said in an email that the company has a long-standing partnership with Metrolinx on refurbishment projects.

"Most recently, in 2022, Ontario Northland was pleased to extend a previous refurbishment contract with an additional 56 double-decker GO train cars."

Kate Bondett, senior communications manager for Ontario, added: "Metrolinx and Ontario Northland are both agencies of the Ontario government, working together to continue strengthening the province's transportation network."

Source: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/north-bay-plant-refurbishes-go-transit-cars-made-in-thunder-bay-10136770