Montreal’s transit agency (STM) will acquire 153 new AZUR Metro cars (17 trains) as part of an amendment to its initial October 2010 order.

The consortium comprising Bombardier Transportation and French company Alstom announced the $448 million CDN deal Monday morning.

Manufacturing is expected to ramp up at Bombardier’s facility in La Pocatière, QC, where the previous order of Metro cars is being completed.

As with the initial contract, Alstom will supply the bogies and motors to Bombardier for final assembly. Alstom also manufactures the trains’ control and communication systems, including passenger information screens and video surveillance.

The deal is touted as “60 per cent Canadian content,” leveraging a network of several hundred suppliers across Quebec. Bombardier has assigned about 170 employees to the new order, and 70 employees will be working at the Alstom plant in Sorel-Tracy.

“This helps to sustain our leadership in the Quebec rail ecosystem and to continue our nearly 45-year relationship with STM,” said Benoit Brossoit, Bombardier Transportation Americas region preresident.

The contract amendment comes after Montreal-based Bombardier voiced concerns last April that local jobs could be at stake if the contract is awarded to another company. The fate of the plant in La Pocatière was up in the air after the loss of a contract to supply trains for Montreal’s new light-rail system.

Former Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard pushed for the Bombardier contract extension.

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