BOTH of Canada’s major freight railway operations came to a halt today because of a contract dispute with their workers.

The confrontation could cause significant economic harm to businesses and consumers in Canada and the United States if the trains don’t resume running soon.

Canadian National (CN) and CPKC railways both locked out their employees after a deadline of midnight on Wednesday passed without new agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents some 10,000 drivers, guards and signalling workers.