UPDATED: August 22, 5:40 p.m. EST

By Justin Franz

Seventeen hours after a vast majority of the Canadian rail network came to a standstill at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time Thursday morning, the Canadian government ordered arbitration, forcing the nation’s two Class Is to reopen and eventually forcing a contract on both the railroads and unions. 

Early Thursday, Canadian National and CPKC officially locked out its union employees who are represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference. While the lockout took effect at midnight, CN and CPKC had been gradually shutting down operations for days, parking hazardous material shipments earlier in the week.

While there have been work stoppages at CN and CPKC in recent years, this was the first time both railroads shuttered at the same time due to labor issues.

But on Thursday afternoon, Canadian Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon informed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to force the railroads and union to strike a deal and reopen the rail system.

The lockout had impacted more than just freight rail operations. Commuter rail operations in Canada, including in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, come to a halt. Because only CPKC dispatchers were involved in the labor talks, most VIA Rail services that operate on CN tracks continued as normal. 

The dispute between labor and management had been brewing for months. At the core of the impasse are several quality-of-life and safety issues. Workers are predominantly concerned about issues related to scheduling and want policies that will help reduce fatigue on the job. 

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.