A national work stoppage for Canada’s two biggest railways has suspended service for the West Coast Express from Mission to Vancouver.
A deal wasn’t reached for Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. by 9:01 p.m. PT on Wednesday, leading to the simultaneous work stoppage.
TransLink says the West Coast Express won’t operate beginning on Thursday (Aug. 22) and the shutdown is indefinite until the CPKC lockout ends.
The West Coast Express operates on rail owned by CPKC and cannot operate without CPKC’s dispatchers and rail workers, TransLink said. Over 3,000 commuters use the train daily, but TransLink says alternate travel options are available.
Additional bus service has been added to connect customers to and from the SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central Station during the rail shutdown.
This supplemental bus service will leave from Mission City Station in the morning at 5:25, 5:55, 6:25, 6:55, and 7:25 a.m., then from Port Haney Station at approximately 5:53, 6:23, 6:53, 7:23, and 7:53 a.m.
The return buses will leave from Coquitlam Central Station at 4:50, 5:20, 5:50, 6:30, and 7:20 p.m. later in the day.
For riders who typically board at Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, or Maple Meadows, TransLink recommends taking the R3, Route 701, or 791 buses, which will all connect to the SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central Station.
Months of negotiations culminated in the Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. locking out 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers after the parties disagreed on a new contract before the deadline.
The two rail companies haul a combined $1 billion in goods each day, according to the Railway Association of Canada. Many shipments were pre-emptively stopped to avoid stranding cargo.
Parties bargained late into the night Wednesday at hotels in Montreal and Calgary before talks broke off shortly before midnight Eastern time.
Each side has accused the other of failing to negotiate seriously.
Bargaining played out in separate negotiations between each company and the Teamsters, which represents 6,000 CN workers and 3,300 CPKC workers.
The Teamsters have said both companies are pushing to weaken protections around rest periods and scheduling, while CN is also seeking a scheme that would see some employees move to far-flung locations for several months at a time to fill labour gaps.
CN said it has negotiated in good faith over the past nine months.
-With files from The Canadian Press
