(The Associated Press circulated the following on July 24, 2009.)
TORONTO — Locomotive engineers at Via Rail Canada are on strike, shutting down the bulk of the national passenger-rail service across Canada.
The union representing 340 engineers say workers walked off the job after contract talks failed.
The engineers are represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union and have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2006.
Union spokesman Stephane Lacroix says they received no response to a final offer tabled earlier this week.
Every week, Via operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometer (7,767-mile) route network. It carries nearly 12,000 passengers a day.