West Coast Express restarts Monday, HandyDART strike called off

West Coast Express train and a HandyDART shuttle bus. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive | TransLink)

There’s good news for TransLink’s riders on the West Coast Express commuter rail service and the HandyDART service on Monday, August 26.

In a bulletin on Sunday morning, TransLink announced the West Coast Express will resume its normal schedule this week, starting on Monday, of five westbound trains in the peak morning period and five eastbound trains in the peak evening period.

This follows Canada Industrial Relations Board’s (CIRB) decision on Saturday to suspend any lockout or strike action and impose binding arbitration between Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Canadian National, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

TransLink’s West Coast Express was caught in the middle of the labour dispute as the commuter rail operates on leased tracks that are owned and operated by CPKC.

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However, TransLink warns that services on Monday may be delayed due to the freight traffic backlog. CPKC has indicated that it will take several weeks for the railway network to fully recover from the unprecedented full work stoppage that first began late Wednesday evening, Vancouver time. As a result, the commuter rail, which only operates on weekdays, did not run last Thursday and Friday.

The historic shutdown of Canada’s freight railways also curtailed the commuter rail services of the Go Train in Greater Toronto and Exo in Greater Montreal, and some VIA Rail services within Ontario have also been impacted. But these services are also expected to restart this week.

Separately, the full work stoppage of TransLink’s HandyDART service starting on Monday, August 26 has now been called off.

Since 2018, TransLink has contracted French firm Transdev to privately operate the service on behalf of the public transit authority. The bookable, door-to-door shuttle bus service is specifically designed for seniors and people with disabilities who are unable to use the conventional public transit system with ease.

However, in a bulletin on Saturday, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1724 announced it will spend its job action as a “gesture of goodwill” ahead of voting on a final offer from Transdev.

“Our HandyDART members care about their riders who rely on them each and every day to get to the doctor, grocery store, and other important destinations,” said ATU International president John Costa in a statement.

“We did not want to leave them stranded while we are voting on this final contract offer. The bottom line, we want a fair contract that recognizes the important role our members play in their community and want to ensure the people of Vancouver, including seniors and those with disabilities, have access to safe and affordable public transit.”

ATU 1724 represents over 600 members who are workers of TransLink’s HandyDART service.

The union states that, prior to the current threat of a full walkout, HandyDART workers have been engaged in partial work withdrawals since early July 2024. These actions include refusing to wear uniforms, collect fares, work overtime, complete certain paperwork, and performing work off the clock.

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