West Coast Express to resume normal service Monday

The West Coast Express (WCE) will be back up and running Monday.

In an email to 1130 News Radio, TransLink says the WCE will resume its normal schedule this week, but there may be delays as a result of backlogged freight traffic.

Last week, TransLink said the WCE would be out of service as a result of a nationwide labour dispute at Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), noting it “cannot operate without CPKC’s dispatchers and rail workers.”

The lockouts affected more than 9,000 railway workers amid an ongoing contract dispute between the two companies and the Teamsters union.

The work stoppage came to an end at 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday based on a decision issued on Saturday by the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordering both companies and their workers to resume operations ahead of binding arbitration.

The president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference issued a statement Saturday protesting the CIRB’s decision. Meanwhile, the Moody’s credit-rating agency warned that the idled rails may have cost the Canadian economy $ 341 million per day. 

The resumption comes as another TransLink service, the door-to-door HandyDART, narrowly avoided a strike. Workers suspended job action that may have resulted in a strike Monday in order for union members to vote on a final contract offer from employer Transdev Canada.

Lower Mainland communities such as Maple Ridge served by the West Coast Express train lamented last week’s operational disruptions, citing residents’ heavy dependence on rail and other transit services to get to and from work.

The union said it was disappointed with the decision and plans to appeal the ruling in federal court.

With files from The Canadian Press.