Second LRT vehicle coming 'soon' but not by mid-month as thought

The second Ion LRT vehicle will be coming "soon" but not by mid-September as previously thought.

This is not the first delay facing Vehicle 2. Deliverywas first delayed earlier this summer; pushed backfrom June to the end of August or early September.

• Second LRT vehicle delivery delayed to late August at earliest
• LRT delayed until early 2018 due to Bombardier train delays

Regional Coun. Tom Galloway told CBC News in an email the second vehicle is coming "soon, but not by mid-month."

A meeting of the region's active transportation advisory committee on Monday may provide more exact details, he said.

In June, regional staff visited the Bombardier facility in Kingston, Ont., where the second vehicle was undergoing testing.

The region said at the time it was delaying preliminary acceptance of the vehicles, because they are "not yet at the desired level of functionality."

Better to wait for functionality

The first vehicle, which arrived in February, still needed work to make it operational. It was not functional when it arrived butwas not meant to be it was meant to test operations, maintenance and the storage facility.

• More on the Ion LRT

Galloway has said previously the region does not plan to take delivery of future vehicles until they're functional.

"The community was told we were going to get our second vehicle at the end of June. Well, we could've gotten our second vehicle at the end of June, it would've come in at much better shape than the first vehicle, but it's better that it stays in Kingston until August, September and comes to us at a higher level of functionality," Galloway said in an interview with CBC News in June.