(Reuters circulated the following article on February 20.)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Canadian Pacific Railway and BC Rail have felt little, if any, impact from the strike of 5,000 workers at Canadian National Railway Co., the country’s biggest railway, the companies said on Friday.
“It’s business as usual,” said Len Cocolicchio, a spokesman for CP, Canada’s second largest railway, which coordinates mainline operations with CN Rail on 250 kilometers (155 miles) of track through British Columbia’s Fraser River Canyon.
Cocolicchio said if the strike by CN rail-car maintenance and clerical workers in Canada spreads to its freight train crews, then CP could run its trains through the canyon the way it before the coordinated operations began in 2000.
BC Rail, Canada’s third-largest railway, which depends on CN for its connections to other rail lines, does not expect to see any disruption because of the dispute, spokesman Alan Dever said.
BC Rail is a major hauler of British Columbia’s softwood lumber exports to the United States.
CN has agreed to buy BC Rail’s freight operations from the British Columbia government, but the deal is awaiting approval from the Canada Competition Bureau.