Canada's 2 big freight railroads come to full stop without new contracts

Both of Canada's major freight railroads have come to a full stop because of a contract dispute with their workers, and businesses fear widespread harm if the trains don't resume running quickly.

Canadian National and CPKC railroads both locked out their employees after the deadline of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Thursday passed without new agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference that represents some 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers.

More than 30,000 commuters in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal will be scrambling to find a new way into work because their trains won't be able to operate over CPKC's tracks while the railroad is shut down.

Business groups had urged the government to intervene, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declined to force both sides into arbitration yet.

CN said it made one final offer that it was waiting on a response for. CPKC spokesperson Patrick Waldron said the union rejected its last offer that CEO Keith Creel made at the table in perso