West Coast Express (WCE) commuters hopping on and off at the Port Coquitlam station will have a dedicated bus to get to the Evergreen Extension in Coquitlam should CP Rail job action affect WCE trains.
This afternoon (Thursday), TransLink staff will drop notices on commuters’ seats to alert them about the possible strike at CP Rail, which is set to start nationwide on Saturday at 12:01 a.m.
TransLink, which operates WCE, leases CP Rail’s tracks for WCE trains from Mission to Vancouver; the Tri-Cities each has a WCE station, of which Coquitlam and Port Moody’s are tied to the Evergreen line.
TransLink spokesperson Chris Bryan said the regional transit agency has been assured by CP Rail that WCE trains won’t be disrupted. “They have managers who can provide signalling services in the event the union walks off the job,” he told The Tri-City News.
However, should that plan not work, TransLink will have special buses running out of the PoCo station for WCE riders to link with SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central. Those buses will run on the same frequency as the WCE trains, he said. “Our focus is to ensure transit connections are maintained.”
This week, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Canadian Signals and Communications System Council No. 11, voted to support the Teamsters Rail Conference of Canada (TCRC) in the potential strike, beginning April 21. The two unions represent 3,400 conductors, locomotive engineers, signallers and communication workers.
Meanwhile, rail shipments of goods will likely be affected by the job action, should it proceed.
The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association called on the federal government to step in after a 72-hour strike notice was served on Wednesday.
The Teamsters say long hours and worker fatigue are among their concerns.
• For updates on West Coast Express trains, visit twitter.com/translink or translink.bc/alerts.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
