The potential strike by CPKC rail traffic controllers — set to begin Thursday morning — will scramble commuting in Canada’s three largest cities. Commuter rail operations in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal all rely on CPKC dispatching to varying degrees, and those operations will cease during a strike by controllers. Hardest hit will be Montreal, where […]
Railroad: Canadian National
STB to end discovery portion of Sunset Limited on-time performance probe
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will wrap up the discovery portion of its investigation into the on-time performance of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited on Friday and has set a schedule for the remainder of the proceeding. In a decision issued yesterday, the STB also ordered Amtrak to provide an opening statement that addresses several key […]
Canada’s labor minister to meet with CN, CPKC, union
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Minister of Labor, Steve MacKinnon, will meet with representatives of Canadian National, CPKC, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to avoid the work stoppage set to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22. The CBC reports MacKinnon will be in Montreal, headquarters of […]
Canadian National DC to AC fleet expands
CN DC to AC Canadian National is receiving its next DC-to-AC rebuilds this summer. The first conversions already on CN’s roster are 50 former Canadian National C44-9Ws converted to AC-traction AC44C6Ms by Wabtec in its Ft. Worth, Texas, facility in 2022 and 2023. The latest group of rebuilds on order include additional AC44C6Ms and EMD […]
STB misses its own deadline for decision on CN acquisition of Iowa Northern
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has sailed past its deadline for issuing a decision on Canadian National’s proposed $230 million acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway. The board was set to issue a decision by July 26, according to the procedural schedule that regulators spelled out on Feb. 29. A board spokesman says the proposed […]
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference delivers strike notice to CPKC; CN delivers lockout notice (updated)
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference today (Aug. 18) served a 72-hour strike notice to Canadian Pacific Kansas City, saying the union will walk out at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, barring a last-minute labor agreement. Canadian National Railway, meanwhile, announced it had delivered a formal 72-hour lockout notice, following up on plans it had […]
Canada’s labor minister won’t send CN-union contract talks to binding arbitration
MONTREAL — Canada’s labor minister has denied Canadian National’s request to intervene in contract talks with the union representing engineers and conductors. Last week CN asked Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon to send stalled contract negotiations to binding arbitration in order to prevent a work stoppage that would halt rail traffic in Canada beginning at 12:01 […]
CN bridge collapses in Fort Frances, Ontario (updated)
FORT FRANCES, Ontario — A Canadian National Railway lift bridge in Fort Frances has collapsed, the website NWOnewswatch.com reports. CN said in a statement to website operator Dougall Media on Wednesday, Aug. 14, that it was responding to “an incident” involving the bridge across the Rainy River that provides its connection to the Port of […]
CN begins first step toward shutting down in advance of Aug. 22 work stoppage (updated)
MONTREAL — Canadian National has begun refusing certain hazardous materials shipments in preparation for an Aug. 22 work stoppage. CN said the decision was made in light of a lack of progress in negotiations with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents the railway’s engineers and conductors in Canada. “CN has initiated the first step of […]
Northernmost point on North American rail network to lose service
HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories — Canadian National Railway has begun the process of ending service to Hay River, which currently holds the distinction of being the northernmost point connected to the North American rail network. Cabin Radio reports the railroad filed in May to discontinue service on its Meander River Subdivision between mileposts 354 and […]
Union responds to CPKC, CN lockout plans; Canadian industry fears impact of shutdown
The announcement by Canadian National and CPKC that they plan to lock out members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference on Aug. 22 represents “an unnecessary escalation that goes against the principles of good-faith bargaining that CN and CPKC claim to uphold,” the union said in a statement this afternoon (Friday, Aug. 9) The two […]
Canadian rail strike could begin as soon as Aug. 22 (updated)
OTTAWA — The Canada Industrial Relations Board has cleared the way for a potential rail work stoppage that could begin as soon as Aug. 22 if the Canadian railways can’t reach an agreement with the union that represents train crews. Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City subsequently said they would lock out members of […]