MONTREAL — Canadian National and United Steelworkers Local 2004, which represents CN track and bridge employees in Canada, have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract, the railroad announced today (Friday, March 1) The union represents more than 2,500 workers, primarily responsible for track maintenance. Negotiations had been underway since October 2023; the […]
Zone & Region: Canada
GIO Railway ends service to St. Catharines, Ontario
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — The GIO Railway ended service to downtown St. Catherines today (Friday, March 1), effectively removing the north end of GIO’s Niagara network from service and halting nearly 150 years of rail service to the city’s downtown. GIO’s final train operated over two days because of mechanical issues, beginning its trip on […]
Broken wheel led to 2020 CN potash train derailment, TSB says
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A broken wheel led to the derailment of 61 cars of a Canadian National potash train near Floods, B.C., in the Fraser River Canyon in a 2020 incident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined in its final accident report. The report on the Sept. 14, 2020, derailment of the Vancouver-bound […]
VIA adds Venture trainsets, seeks funding to replace aging long-distance fleet
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has begun operating additional Siemens Venture trainsets between Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, and is slated to add more departures in April. Meanwhile, the company hosted an open house for journalists to highlight the extraordinary efforts required to keep passenger cars built in the mid-1950s operational. It sought to make the […]
Canadian, Manitoba governments to contribute C$60 million to work on Hudson Bay Railway
CHURCHILL, Manitoba — The Canadian and Manitoba governments will provide up to C$60 million to complete work on the Hudson Bay Railway, the only year-round way of reaching the remote Port of Churchill, as well as funding the start of redevelopment of the port itself, officials announced today (Friday, Feb. 23). Churchill is Canada’s only […]
Report on Scarborough line derailment raises questions on maintenance, Toronto official says
TORONTO — A member of the Toronto Transit Commission and Toronto city council is questioning whether the transit agency performed sufficient maintenance on the Scarborough Rapid Transit line before a July 2023 derailment that led to the premature closing of the line, the CBC reports. Council member Josh Matlow is raising his concerns based on […]
CPKC says union for Canadian crews misrepresents negotiations
CALGARY — The union representing engineers, conductors and yard workers has “chosen to grossly misrepresent the facts” and “distorted the truth,” Canadian Pacific Kansas City said late Monday in a response to statements by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference regarding contract negotiations, saying the railroad has “offered two options for renewed contracts that provide benefits […]
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference claims CN, CPKC seek work stoppage
MONTREAL — The president of Teamsters Canada claims Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are seeking a work stoppage in an effort to eliminate rest provisions for workers, the union said in a press release today (Monday, Feb. 19). The release is the union’s response to separate moves by CN and CPKC on Friday to […]
Two crew members injured as CPKC trains collide in British Columbia (additional update)
REVELSTOKE, B.C. — Two crew members were injured when a CPKC train rear-ended a stopped train and derailed Friday night east of Revelstoke, the CBC reports. Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it was deploying to the scene of another CPKC collision in Field, B.C., that occurred on Saturday. The incident occurred about […]
CN, CPKC seek involvement of Canadian government in negotiations with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference
Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have both filed Notices of Dispute with Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the railroads announced today (Friday, Feb. 16) in separate press releases. The filings request appointment of a Federal Conciliation Officer to assist in reaching agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. CN, in its […]
TSB to investigate CPKC incident in Alberta
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is sending two investigators to the scene of a collision and derailment at CPKC’s Kipp Yard near Lethbridge, the agency said Sunday. Lethbridge News Now reports that CPKC officials said eight cars derailed Sunday while being moved at slow speed. There were no injuries or spills […]
Ontario, Canada, man posts bond after arrest for tampering with CN tracks
LONDON, Ontario — An Ontario man arrested for tampering with railroad tracks is not allowed to use tools as a condition of his bail, the London Free Press reports. Wael El-Ghadban, 35, of London, Ont., was arrested Feb. 1 and charged with mischief endangering human life after acts of tampering at several locations in Middlesex […]