Exo: no service on some lines due to national rail shutdown [Video]

Reports that Ottawa was set to intervene in a labour dispute that has brought Canada’s two largest railways to a standstill was little comfort for the commuters who were left scrambling Thursday morning.

Late in the afternoon, federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon announced he was invoking powers under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to force all parties into binding arbitration.

Instead of taking the rails, commuters were on the roads.

Members of the Teamsters union were in front of CN’s Montreal headquarters Thursday morning as 9,300 workers were locked out after months of discussions failed to bring a deal.

“This is not a strike. It’s a lockout and they are the ones who decided to put us on the street,” said Teamsters Canada President François Laporte.

CN says it has been negotiating in good faith. After a work stoppage at the port last year, there are renewed concerns about supply chains, according to Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services …