A GO Transit train sits parked at the Niagara Falls Train Station, on Aug. 26, 2022.Tara Walton/The Canadian Press
Thousands of Ontario riders returned to their normal commute after a train line and a station resumed service with the work stoppage by Canada’s two major railways coming to an end.
Metrolinx spokesperson Andrea Ernesaks said services on the Milton GO line and at Hamilton GO station resumed Monday morning.
She has said that there may be some adjustments to schedules throughout the day as the agency restores normal service, but that additional staff and shuttles would be on hand if needed.
Ernesaks said Metrolinx experienced an unrelated signal issue earlier in the morning due to a local hydro outage that caused minor delays.
Commuters who use the Milton GO line and the Hamilton GO station were taken by surprise Thursday morning when a countrywide rail lockout by Canadian National Railway Co., and Canadian Pacific Kansas City shut down lines in major metropolitan areas.
The lockout impacted more than 9,000 rail workers, triggering a national work stoppage that affected freight traffic as well as 30,000 commuters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, who use trains running on CPKC-owned lines.
The stoppage ended just after midnight on Monday after the Canada Industrial Relations Board issued a decision Saturday ordering the companies and their workers to resume operations ahead of binding arbitration.
In Greater Montreal, riders returned to their regular commute Monday as service resumed on the Exo transit system following an end to the work stoppage by Canada’s two major railways.
Exo spokeswoman Catherine Maurice said that service on its Candiac, St-Jérôme and Vaudreuil/Hudson lines returned to their regular schedule after coming to an abrupt halt Thursday morning and catching many commuters by surprise.
Maurice said in an e-mail Monday the transit organization is satisfied with the resumption of service.
She said bus shuttle service would continue Monday in order to handle “any issues that may arise” for the routes’ 21,000 daily riders.
Maurice said Exo expects congestion on the tracks amid the operations ramp-up by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the coming days, depending on the priority given to passenger trains.
On Saturday, the federal labour board ordered railways to resume operations and employees to go back on the job starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday morning ahead of binding arbitration, which will aim to resolve a labour impasse that led to the shutdown.