Update on the Canadian Rail Strike

by Sean Jeans-Gail, Vice President of Gov't Affairs + Policy

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Less than a day into a rail labor strike which brought rail traffic throughout Canada to a standstill, the Canadian government ordered Canadian National and CPKC to enter into binding arbitration with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union. With rail workers ordered back on the job, trains resumed operations this morning.

However, union leaders criticized the government intervention, saying they would pursue all legally available opportunities for further action. Teamsters Canada issued another 72-hour strike notification to its members this morning, suggesting more work stoppages are looming on the horizon.

Amtrak Unaffected

Amtrak has stated it does not expect its cross-border operations will be affected in the near term.

“Amtrak does not anticipate any schedule adjustments to our Amtrak Cascades and Maple Leaf service as a result of the freight railroad strike,” said the American railroad. “However, we are in regular contact with our partners regarding any potential impacts.”

Canadian Passenger Services Experiencing Disruptions

VIA Rail issued a public statement stating that its operations will continue in the event of a strike, with some disruptions:

VIA Rail employees are not involved in this work stoppage, and Canadian National’s potential work stoppage will not impact our operations.

CPKC owns some rail infrastructure where VIA Rail operates. VIA Rail is currently working with CPKC to maintain access to a 1 km section of CPKC tracks in Smiths Falls and plans to continue the regular operation of its Ottawa – Toronto services.

However, VIA Rail would lose access to CPKC tracks on which it operates the Sudbury – White-River services and would unfortunately have to suspend operations on this route (trains 185 and 186), without alternative transportation, until the work stoppage is resolved.

Impacted customers on this route will be contacted directly if the work stoppage is confirmed. They will also be able to autonomously modify their reservation or opt for a full refund at no cost on http://viarail.ca.

The Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury rail-tour company based out of Vancouver, B.C., warned passengers that parts of its network would go dark in the event of continued labor action.

“While the work stoppage is ongoing, this will unfortunately result in us being unable to travel by train between Kamloops and Banff/Lake Louise on our First Passage to the West route,” stated the railroad in a service advisory. “This section of the route runs on CPKC tracks, and they will not allow us to operate while their rail traffic controllers are not working due to the labour action… We will be able to operate on other sections of our routes, including between Vancouver and Kamloops on First Passage to the West, and between North Vancouver and Quesnel on Rainforest to Gold Rush. These are CN lines and CN is allowing us to operate our trains as their rail traffic controllers are not impacted by the labour action.”

The Rocky Mountaineer has said it will provide passengers with alternative means of transportation in the event of any further service disruptions.