West Coast Express commuter trains resume Monday as rail staff ordered back to work

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Metro Vancouver’s transit authority says the West Coast Express commuter train service shut down last week due to the Canada-wide rail stoppage will resume operations this week.

TransLink issued a statement saying services will resume there normal schedules starting Monday, although there may be some delays “due to freight traffic backlog.”

The commuter rail line linking Mission, B.C., and other Fraser Valley communities to downtown Vancouver has been shut down since Wednesday night due to the lack of rail traffic controllers on the Canadian Pacific Kansas City tracks the service uses.

On Saturday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board imposed binding arbitration in the dispute between workers and the country’s two major railways, Canadian National and CPKC, ordering thousands of rail employees back to work.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press