Nine new streetcars damaged by extensive flooding in Toronto

Damaged streetcars sent to New York for repairs Flooding and sewage overflow has caused extensive damage to a number of Toronto's new streetcars.

Nine of the TTC's new streetcars were damaged during a rain storm that flooded Toronto earlier this month, the transit agency says.

Parts of North York and the downtown core saw between 50 to 75 millimetres of rainfall in a two to three-hour period on Aug. 7, inundating roads and basements across the city with water.

The TTC saw some major transit disruptions as a result and some surface routes, including the 504 King streetcar, were impacted by high water levels.

One King streetcar near Liberty Village was completely submerged in about six feet of water, resulting in substantial damage to the interior.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said there were six people on board the vehicle and the operator managed to get them all to safety.

The vehicle is one of two that Green says will be have to be sent to New York for cleaning and repairs.

"Bombardier has a facility there where they can completely dismantle and get in to all of the parts that are soaked, dry them all out, figure out what the time is, figure out what the cost is, that’s the part we are still waiting to find out," Green told CP24 on Tuesday.

Two more streetcars will reportedly be repaired here in Toronto and the other five vehicles damaged by flooding have already been repaired and returned to service.

The damage comes about a month after Bombardier apologized for a welding defect in 67 of the 89 new streetcars already delivered to the TTC. The defect will mean affected streetcars will need to be taken out of service a few at a time to fix the problem, which the company has described as “preventative.”

Bombardier has repeatedly missed delivery deadlines but appeared to get back on track in recent months. The company maintains that all 204 cars will be supplied to the TTC by the end of 2019.