An end to a countrywide rail stoppage may be in sight, but thousands of riders who use British Columbia’s West Coast Express are facing at least one more day without the service.
Passenger rail service in the province’s Interior is also being affected by the stoppage, compounding issues caused by the wildfire in Jasper, Alta.
And B.C’s ports say it will take time to restart operations and begin recovery following the shutdown.
The federal government on Thursday asked for binding arbitration in the dispute involving the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union, Canadian National Railway Co. (CN), and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd (CKPC).
CN said soon after that it had ended its lockout of workers and CPKC said it was preparing to resume operations after the two railways’ first-ever simultaneous stoppage.
But regional transport provider TransLink said the West Coast Express, which runs on CPKC tracks, would remain suspended for the rest of Thursday and Friday.
It said services would stay halted “until further clarity is given by CPKC on when trains can operate again.”
TransLink said a supplemental bus service will be provided on weekdays until service resumes.
Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon says he has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board ‘to extend the term of the current collective agreements until new agreements have been signed and for operations on both railways to resume forthwith.’
The West Coast express serves communities between Vancouver and Mission, about 60 kilometres to the east, with stops in the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Coquitlam areas.
West Coast Express trains have been unable to operate since Wednesday night without locked-out traffic controllers to dispatch them.
TransLink says more than 3,000 customers take the West Coast Express each weekday.
TransLink said in a statement that the supplemental service operated well Thursday morning, but it doesn’t have figures about how many customers used the existing bus routes.
Port operator says restart will take time
Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon announced Thursday afternoon that he’s sent the dispute to binding arbitration and has ordered operations on both railways to resume as quickly as possible.
Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code allows the government to refer a labour dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to find a solution.
MacKinnon said said he’s directed the board to settle the outstanding terms of the collective agreements and impose final binding arbitration.
Asked repeatedly when he thinks trains will start rolling, the minister said: “Within days.”
The Port of Prince Rupert is home to Canada’s third-largest port, despite being a city of just over 12,000 people. Mayor Herb Pond says the city’s economy is built around supporting the movement of goods and a work stoppage will put many jobs at risk.
But there is still uncertainty about when operations will resume for companies impacted by the stoppage.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said on Thursday afternoon that it would take time and collaboration to recover from the railway stoppage.
The authority said most of the Port of Vancouver’s marine cargo terminals are expected to feel impacts from the disruption since two-thirds of port cargo, including 90 per cent of international exports, rely on rail.
“We continue to monitor the situation following today’s announcement by the federal government,” the authority said in a statement.
“A full recovery will take time and collaboration,” it said, adding that port users and supply chain partners were working with them to “minimize the potential disruption.”
The national rail stoppage has left West Coast Express commuters looking for alternatives. CBC’s Yasmine Ghania looks at how passengers are coping with the morning commute.
Prince Rupert mayor Herb Pond, whose city of roughly 12,000 people hosts Canada’s third-largest port, said the long-term impact on the local economy could be incredibly damaging if operations don’t resume quickly.
“If you are not working in one of the terminals, you are certainly neighbours with somebody who works in one of the terminals,” he said in an interview with CBC News prior to the federal announcement.
“The economy of Prince Rupert today is really built around [the port].”
Rocky Mountaineer cancels runs through Kootenays
In the Interior of B.C., Rocky Mountaineer tourist trains have been cancelled between Kamloops, Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta.
The passenger route takes travellers through the Kootenays, but in an update online, the company says CPKC will not allow them to use its tracks during the stoppage.
In an update posted Thursday afternoon, the company said despite intervention from the federal government ordering work to resume and the parties to submit to binding arbitration, “it is uncertain how long this process will take and how long the current work stoppage will continue.”
It is the second major tourist route the Rocky Mountaineer has had to cancel this summer, with train rides to the township of Jasper on hiatus due to wildfires in the region.
Rocky Mountaineer trains are still able to run between Vancouver and Kamloops and from North Vancouver to Quesnel on tracks run by CN Rail. People who have booked trips through the Kootenays are being provided with motorcoach service, instead, the Rocky Mountaineer says.
Via Rail so far unaffected in B.C.
Farther north, Via Rail says its operations in B.C. remain unaffected. The company runs passenger routes on CN Rail lines between Prince George and Prince Rupert and is able to continue to do so.
However, it has been affected by wildfires in Jasper with all trains between Prince George and Alberta cancelled until further notice.
Via Rail commuter lines that use CPKC tracks in Ontario have been suspended.
Situation ‘unacceptable’: Transit groups
Public transit advocates in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto issued a joint statement saying the stoppage shows rail users are “at the mercy of freight transportation” in Canada.
The statement from Trajectoire Québec, TTCriders and Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders says public transit users are paying for a situation out of their control.
It says the stoppage will encourage more transit riders to use cars to get to work and affect public confidence in the reliability of commuter trains, which they describe as “fragile.”
“This situation is unacceptable in the context of growing congestion and a climate crisis,” the statement says.
‘Another blow to people’s wallets’
Early Thursday, the president of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Bridgitte Anderson, said the rail stoppage, and knock-on effect on the West Coast Express, will add to congestion across the region.
In a statement, she said every day of the stoppage “delivers another blow to people’s wallets” and endangers the livelihoods of business owners and employees.
Fiona Famulak, president of B.C. Chamber of Commerce, said the group is “extremely disappointed” that the rail companies and union were unable to reach a deal.
She says a prolonged stoppage is “untenable,” and it would further damage B.C.’s reputation as a reliable trading partner after job action at western ports last year.
Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., said if the stoppage were to be prolonged, businesses would struggle to keep their doors open amid the “very challenging situation.”
Qualey said in the statement that the car dealers are already dealing with “fairly tight” vehicle inventory issues and that a rail stoppage would “turn the tap off.”
“Previous disputes have had a significant impact on dealers and consumers, and we simply cannot afford a repeat,” said Qualey.