The company responsible for the signalling system on the problem-plagued Metro Line LRT has developed a “detailed roadmap” to complete the project, which is now running into its seventh year.
Thales Canada has also offered a schedule for the completion of work.
“We have been making significant and measured progress towards completion, despite substantial hurdles that have been placed in front of us,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.
Last week, the city issued Thales a notice of default on its $55-million contract — a necessary legal first step toward contract termination.
At the time, Mayor Don Iveson said the contractor had “consistently let down Edmontonians in meeting their contractual obligations to the city…enough is enough.”
Thales responded in Wednesday’s statement by saying it was “disappointed” with the comments and the decision to issue the notice of default.
“The successful completion of this project, as it has always, will demand cooperation from the city. Thales is optimistic that it will receive such cooperation,” the company wrote.
A city spokesperson told CBC News it is now evaluating the contractor’s new detailed plan and “next steps will be decided once the assessment is complete.”
The Metro Line LRT opened in 2015, more than a year after it was supposed to. But the signalling system on the Metro Line LRT has still not been fully merged with that on the Capital Line LRT, resulting in slower trains and reduced frequencies.