Comment 121807

By Haveacow (registered) | Posted August 04, 2017 at 00:36:44

I really don't see the issue other than a local union, Hamilton's ATU local is trying to raise a political stink for the project until, they are shoehorned into the project by default. Hamilton HSR workers could easily sub contract themselves with any of the winners of the RFQ process. Or with the eventual winner of the RFP process.

I will use one company I'm highly familiar with as an example. I know for a fact that, Keolis will be bidding as part of one of the members of the various consortiums which are bidding in the B-Line LRT project's RFQ process. There to big not to! Keolis operates a great many LRT lines in France. About 11 of the 28 LRT systems in France in fact. They also operate or jointly operate dozens of other rail based transit operations throughout the globe. Including the ION LRT in Waterloo as part of GrandLinq. They are a private, profit producing company, they are not a government organization and are very efficient and experienced LRT operators and maintainers, even though they are 70% owned by France's SNCF. Since Hamilton's LRT process is a DBFOM (Design, Build, Finance, Operated and Maintain) final contract, its too late in the process to change it, some company will be operating the B-Line LRT. So it is most likely one of the bidding consortiums will want to include an experienced LRT operator like Keolis to be the outright operator or co-operator in some negotiated capacity. I don't see a problem for the Hamilton's HSR ATU Local or the City of Hamilton cooperating with the HSR's Union to offer themselves up to the winning operating company's as, a ready willing source for local workers as potential LRV trainee operators or maintenance staff trainees! It doesn't have to be a big political battle!

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