MONTREAL - Quebec has halted discussions on a contract for new subway cars between the Montreal transit commission and a consortium made up of Bombardier Transportation and Alstom.
It says the transit commission is enlarging its order and is issuing a call for a new international tender to replace 765 subway cars, with an option to purchase an additional 288 cars.
The original order worth $1.2 billion was for 342 cars.
But the new subway cars will still have to contain 60 per cent Canadian content and will still have to be assembled in Canada.
When the original call for tenders went out in July 2008, the Bombardier Transportation-Alstom consortium was the only bid submitted.
But in December, a Chinese firm took legal action demanding the right to make a submission.
It argued the transit corporation did not adequately communicate the original tender call in 2008.
Any companies that want to submit bids will now have 30 days to express their interest.
