Commuters in Toronto were left scrambling Thursday morning after Metrolinx suspended GO train service on the Milton line and at Hamilton GO station, amid a work stoppage at two of Canada’s largest rail companies.
All traffic on two of the country’s major railways ground to a halt at 12:01 a.m. ET after contract negotiations between Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the union representing some 9,300 rail workers broke down.
The work stoppage will also have a “massive effect” on small businesses due to decreased shipments, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a statement Thursday.
The two rail companies move roughly $1 billion worth of goods per day, according to the Railway Association of Canada.
A spokesperson for Metrolinx said the decision to shut down service was made late Wednesday to provide customers with “as much certainty as possible” as they plan their commutes.
Some commuters arrived Thursday morning at GO Transit stations along the Milton line, which cuts through Mississauga to Toronto’s Union Station, only to learn service had been suspended.
“This is completely unacceptable, and we should have been informed earlier, said Om Sangekar, speaking outside the Cooksville GO station. “I’ll definitely be late for work.”
Service on all other GO lines, the UP Express and Lakeshore West line stations are unaffected.
Riders who use Hamilton GO station can access train service via West Harbour GO, Aldershot GO or use normally scheduled GO bus service on Route 16, Metrolinx said Thursday.
Customers on the Milton line are urged to use local transit options or access the GO network on the Lakeshore West or Kitchener lines, the agency said.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this disruption may cause,” Andrea Ernesaks said in an email. “Safety is our priority — while additional staff will be available to support customers, our services may be busier than usual.”
Shuttles were running every 30 minutes to take those at the Cooksville station to Port Credit’s GO hub, where they could catch a ride on the Lakeshore line.
Shraddha Mhatre, a commuter who arrived at the Cooksville station unaware of the stoppage, decided to work from home.
“I have some meetings scheduled in the mornings so I can’t take a chance to have any further delays,” she said.
Work stoppage means ‘a lot of trouble’ for supply chains
John Corey, president of the Freight Management Association of Canada, said the consequences of the work stoppage could be profound for a wide range of industries and consumers.
“It means that the supply chain is broken and anyone that uses rail services is literally stuck. Their business is over for now, until the strike is over,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.
Trucking networks simply cannot replace the amount of goods and materials being transported by rail, he added.
“The ports essentially are going to shut down in a day or two because they have no exports and containers that are currently at the port can’t be removed. So once they clear the whatever they can by truck, everything is just going to stop. And we’re talking about supply chain that goes from Halifax to Vancouver,” Corey said.
If the labour dispute drags on, “we’re in a lot of trouble,” he continued. The availability of consumer goods, fresh food and essential industrial materials like chlorine used for water purification and propane for home heating and cooking, will all be affected.
“The trickle down effects are are right across the board,” Corey said.
In a statement, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for both sides in the labour dispute to return to the bargaining table.
“The rail strike at CN and CPKC is already costing workers, transit users and businesses across the country, and we cannot afford to let things get worse,” Ford said.