The Seattle Monorail has become so radioactive that potential contractors are saying it's not worth the billion dollars they would earn for their efforts:
One of two companies bidding on the new Seattle Monorail has withdrawn.Damn. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 06, 2004 12:49 PMTeam Monorail, a consortium led by Canadian train maker Bombardier, announced it will not be submitting bids on the $1.75 billion project.
Bombardier? They make snowmobiles, I never knew they made trains.
Once, years ago, on a trip up to Banff we went out on the glacier up their (it had some weire foreign Canadian name so I don't remember it). We rode out on it in Sno-Cats, which were the size of RVs but on tracks. Way cool. And built by Bombardier, too.
But it sad when your own prospective contractors start bailing. And if this Canadian company doesn't believe in this chunk of municipal government pork, that bodes ill. Since this project is the type of thing so near and dear to the hearts of the corporate staters in the Great White North.
Posted by: Steve Skubinna on August 6, 2004 06:15 PMA huge hit if Bombardier is pulling out. Congrats, Seattle!
Posted by: Kevin P. on August 6, 2004 06:15 PMObviously Steve, you don't know anything about Bombardier....
http://www.aerospace.bombardier.com/
They are into manufacturing many facets of the transportation industry.
Posted by: Kevin P. on August 6, 2004 06:19 PMJust checked the web site. Hey, who knew? Those clever Canadians, lucky for us they dilute way too much energey being bilingual or else we'd be watching their television.
But as far as the transportation industry goes, I pay most attention to my own piece of it, the maritime sector. I don't even care about Boeing anymore since they moved to Chicago, the suckbutts.
But if I recall correctly, Bombardier basically invented the snowmobile. Never knew they made other stuff that doesn't travel on tracks too.
Posted by: Steve Skubinna on August 6, 2004 11:44 PMBombardier made the Acela train that plies the Boston-Washington corridor (and had major mechanical problems in its first year of operation).
Posted by: Zev Sero on August 8, 2004 01:04 PMIt's a smart move, to withdraw before the real trouble starts.
If even one aspiring politician
publicly proclaims that when he or she gets
elected, a thorough investigation will start
into the whole affair, _including_
the contractors and their role in the campaign
to deceive the public, the whole rotten edifice
might collapse.
Doesn't this project have to be a competitive bid? In otherwords, SMP may not be authorized to award a contract where there is only one bidder.
Posted by: Tim Ford on August 9, 2004 09:15 AM