Embargoes Issued by Canadian Railroads for Potential Disruption

The Canadian railroads have begun issuing embargoes in advance of a potential lockout as the deadline approaches to reach a new labor agreement with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union that represents approximately 9,300 locomotive engineers, conductors and other train and yard workers in Canada. 

While negotiations are ongoing, if no resolution is reached, the CN and CPKC have indicated plans for a proactive shutdown that will end with a lockout at 12:01 AM ET on August 22. While the potential Canadian lockout does not impact BNSF operations, shipments moving to and from Canada through interchange with the Canadian railroads will not be moved during a work stoppage. Should a work stoppage occur, BNSF will continue to work closely with the Canadian railroads and be prepared to get shipments moving safely and quickly when normal interchange operations are able to resume.

To see if your shipment may be impacted, you can search all active embargoes at the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Embargo Raillinc website here (enter “CN” or “CPRS” in the Issuing Road field to view active embargoes for CN and CPKC). 

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep you updated as the situation evolves. If you have questions, please contact your BNSF Marketing representative.