Canada’s freight rail traffic has ground to a halt after the country’s two largest railways have locked out workers after failed labour negotiations. The simultaneous lockout by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway took effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning. In a statement Aug. 20, the Ontario Bean Growers called the […] Read more
Tag Archives railway
Canada’s rail freight traffic at full stop
Ontario Bean Growers calls the lack of government intervention in rail labour dispute as a 'black eye to our industry'
North American agriculture groups ask US, Canadian governments to stop rail strike
Nearly three dozen North American agriculture groups, in a joint letter to the U.S. and Canadian governments today, urged action to avoid a rail stoppage.
Industry and shippers brace for Canada rail stoppage, fear ‘catastrophe’
North American industry groups and shippers are bracing for an unprecedented simultaneous stoppage at both of Canada's main railway companies that could inflict billions of dollars' worth of economic damage.
Canada labour board ruling opens door for rail workers to be off the job by Aug. 22
Workers at Canada’s two major railways could be on strike as early as Aug. 22 following a decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued Aug. 9 on the safety implications of a stoppage.
Railway reluctance on drainage costs will be carried downstream
If federally regulated railways don’t pay for drainage repair and upgrades, landowners and municipalities will pay the price
Railway companies are more frequently refusing to pay for drainage infrastructure costs, some Ontario municipalities say. David Taylor, director of legal services at the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, said the railways claim the province cannot constitutionally apply its rules to interprovincial railways, which are federally regulated. “We’ve always had a positive experience working with railways, and […] Read more
CN closes deal on Iowa railway
The agreement will link about 275 track miles to the carrier's U.S. rail network
Canadian National Railway (CN) has inked a deal to buy an Iowa railway and connect it to its U.S. rail network, the company announced Dec. 6.
Go bigger on interswitching pilot, grain groups urge Ottawa
Railways say the measure creates inefficiencies; farm groups say the opposite is true
Farm groups from across the country are asking producers to lobby federal ministers and MPs and urge them to super-size a government proposal for what’s called ‘extended interswitching.’ The measure, part of this spring’s federal budget, essentially gives grain shippers a choice in which railway they deal with (as long as the competitor’s line is […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Circumstances could mess with usual holiday lull
MarketsFarm — Usually at this time of year, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) slips into its holiday lull, with most trading sticking to a sideways range, Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities said, suggesting that could change. “With such geo-political stuff going on and a possible railroad strike [in the United States], it kind of […] Read more
CN signals staff to return to work Wednesday
IBEW, railway to go to binding arbitration
Signals and communications workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) are set to end their 17-day strike and return to work Wednesday morning. CN, in a statement Monday, said the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) System Council 11, which represents about 750 of the company’s employees across the country, had agreed to take its labour […] Read more
CP disputes TSB’s conclusions on fatal grain train crash
Safety board urges automatic parking brakes, 'enhanced' brake testing for conditions
The federal Transportation Safety Board’s report into the fatal derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) grain train in the Rocky Mountains in 2019 calls for changes to train braking systems and maintenance. CP, however, is questioning the TSB’s conclusions about the braking performance of the train involved, saying those conclusions are “based on inappropriate […] Read more
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