Service along the Milton GO Line and at Hamilton GO Centre station is still suspended for a second straight day on Friday amid the historic country-wide railway lockout.
Despite an announcement by the federal government, Metrolinx’s Milton GO Train says the train line service remains suspended for Friday. The transit system urges passengers to take alternate routes.
Service at Hamilton GO Centre is also halted on Friday.
Between both the GO Line and the station, about 8,100 commuters are affected.
We are aware of the announcement by Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon. At this time, Milton line train service remains suspended tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 23. Travel alternatives available at https://t.co/8WzxzQ0sS1.
— Milton Train (@GOtransitMI) August 23, 2024
Canadian National Railway Co. said Thursday evening it had ended its lockout and initiated a recovery plan, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says it’s preparing to restart operations.
CPKC also said in a statement the Canada Industrial Relations Board called an urgent meeting Thursday evening about getting service resumed, but noted the Teamsters union refused to discuss resuming service and wanted to make submissions to challenge the constitutionality of MacKinnon’s direction.
CN and CPKC locked out workers after the companies and the union failed to reach a deal on a new contract before a midnight deadline Thursday, the first simultaneous shutdown on Canada’s two largest railways.
Both the Milton Line and Hamilton GO are managed by rail traffic controllers for CPKC, according to Metrolinx. Portions of the GO network running on CN lines are not impacted.
The impact to commuter rail is limited to routes running on CPKC-owned tracks because dispatchers at CN, which hosts a greater number of passenger trains, are not part of the bargaining process and would not take part in a work stoppage.
— with files from The Canadian Press
