An end to a countrywide rail stoppage may be in sight, but riders of British Columbia's West Coast Express are facing at least one more day without the service.

West Coast Express service from Mission to Vancouver continues to be suspended on Friday (Aug. 23) until further clarity is given by CPKC on when trains can operate again, TransLink says. 

Supplemental bus service will continue on weekdays until West Coast Express service resumes.

The countrywide impasse has affected upwards of 32,000 commuters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, including the 3,000 customers who use the West Coast Express each weekday.

The West Coast Express serves communities between Vancouver and Mission, about 67 kilometres to the east, with stops in the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Coquitlam areas.

It operates on rail owned by CPKC and cannot operate without CPKC鈥檚 dispatchers and rail workers, regional transport provider TransLink said. Over 3,000 commuters use the train daily, but TransLink says alternate travel options are available. 

The supplemental bus service will leave from Mission City Station in the morning at 5:25, 5:55, 6:25, 6:55, and 7:25 a.m., then from Port Haney Station at approximately 5:53, 6:23, 6:53, 7:23, and 7:53 a.m.

The return buses will leave from Coquitlam Central Station at 4:50, 5:20, 5:50, 6:30, and 7:20 p.m. later in the day.

For riders who typically board at Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, or Maple Meadows, TransLink recommends taking the R3, Route 701, or 791 buses, which will all connect to the SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central Station.

The federal government on Thursday asked for binding arbitration in the dispute involving the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union, Canadian National Railway Co., and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.

CN said soon after that it had ended its lockout of workers and CPKC said it was preparing to resume operations after the two railways' first-ever simultaneous stoppage.

Meanwhile, West Coast Express trains have been unable to operate since Wednesday night without locked-out traffic controllers to dispatch them.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said on Thursday afternoon that it would take time and collaboration to recover from the railway stoppage.

The authority said most of the Port of Vancouver's marine cargo terminals would suffer from the disruption since two-thirds of port cargo and 90 per cent of international exports rely on rail.

"We continue to monitor the situation following today鈥檚 announcement by the federal government," the authority said in a statement.

"A full recovery will take time and collaboration," it said, adding that port users and supply chain partners were working with them to "minimize the potential disruption."

Premier David Eby had said before the federal government stepped in that the stoppage was "terrible news," both for the families of locked-out railworkers and those whose commutes and industries were affected.

Eby told an unrelated news conference Thursday there had been 鈥渕assive knock on effects鈥� from the stoppage for a range of people who rely on rail services, from farmers in the Prairies to commuters who use the West Coast Express.

Eby said 鈥渢he word devastating is probably and understatement" as he urged the companies to sit down with the workers 鈥渟incerely鈥� to resolve the stoppage.

University of British Columbia professor emeritus Trevor Heaver, who specializes in transportation, said the stoppage meant busier road conditions for Metro Vancouver drivers.

鈥淧utting more cars on the road is not what we want to see," he said.

Public transit advocates in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto issued a joint statement before the arbitration announcement saying the stoppage showed rail users were "at the mercy of freight transportation" in Canada.

The statement from Trajectoire Qu茅bec, TTCriders and Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders said public transit users were paying for a situation out of their control.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade applauded the binding arbitration announcement, with president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson, calling it "welcome news."

鈥淎 prolonged work stoppage would have been disastrous for our national economy and our reputation as a trading partner," she said in a statement.

鈥淎dditionally, it was regular Canadians and small business owners who stood to bear the worst impacts, from loss of income to increased costs of everyday goods.

In the wake of a federal push for binding arbitration, Canadian National announced Thursday (Aug. 22) that effective 3 p.m. Pacific time it had ended its lockout and immediately initiated its recovery plan.

鈥� with file from Canadian Press