Impact of Recent Lockout on Via Rail Services in Canada

Impact of the Recent Lockout on Canadian Rail Services

This week, a brief lockout at Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railways may have inadvertently benefited passengers traveling on most Via Rail Canada trains. Unlike Amtrak, where passenger services have priority, Via Rail’s operations are significantly influenced by freight traffic. Read: Canadian Government Orders Arbitration and End to Rail Freight Shutdown | What a Prolonged Rail Shutdown in Canada Would Mean for Trade

The lockout began on Thursday and lasted nearly 17 hours before federal labor minister Steve MacKinnon announced that he had directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to take action. He instructed the board to mandate the resumption of rail services and to enforce a contract through binding arbitration. MacKinnon expressed optimism that trains operating on these two freight railways would be back up and running within days.

However, the exact timeframe for this restoration remained unclear as of Friday afternoon. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents approximately 10,000 workers, has expressed its opposition to the arbitration process. In response to the lockout, the union filed an official notice with Canadian National indicating their intention to initiate a strike against the company on Monday, while also maintaining picket lines related to the lockout.

Despite the ongoing labor disputes, operations for Via Rail have continued as usual, with the exception of a single route in Northern Ontario. Most of Via Rail’s services primarily utilize tracks owned by Canadian National, along with a few smaller segments of track that Via Rail owns near Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario.