Bombardier Away!
Share bombing Bombardier temporarily halted its drop into the abyss of Canadian zombie companies: companies propped up by the government by loans, contracts and grants. How did it accoplish such a feat? By getting a contract with French Railways....in an industry that was basically created by a Canadian government contract. At one point, Bombardier had no experience in 'train' building, but the Canadian government had train contracts and a need to create jobs, so they had their plane makers (of course!) from Quebec build the damn things.

Bombardier Transportation wins $576M train order from French Railways
06:59 PM EST Jan 04
ALLAN SWIFT

MONTREAL (CP) - Struggling Bombardier Inc. reported good news from its transportation division Tuesday after it was granted an order for 100 high-capacity passenger trains from French National Railways, worth about $576 million Cdn.

The regional trains, to be delivered between December 2007 and February 2009, will be produced at its major plant in Crespin, France, Bombardier Transportation said. Bombardier was selected in 2001 to build 500 of the regional trains for French National Railways.

Including the 100 trains announced Tuesday, the French national railway system has so far ordered 379 trains, of which the first deliveries began in January 2004. So far 30 are in service.

Ahh...I see why France chose them: local labour. Not like the BC government, which is outsourcing its shipbuilding to Germany. Gordo is just a little ideological. Just a little. I still can't believe he cut wages the same week as mayday. What a giant miscalculation.