Thursday, August 22, 2024

Off the rails

Backbone of the nation
London, ON
May 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

While Canadians slept, 9,300 workers were locked out by CN and CPKC, the country’s largest railways, bringing freight and commuter traffic coast to coast to a grinding halt.

We live in a city criss-crossed with rail lines, so Londoners used to traffic delays at level crossings might be getting to work a few minutes early in the absence of working trains.

But it’s a false victory, because a national rail stoppage will do substantial damage to an economy that’s already on the ropes. That’s because tight post-pandemic supply chains no longer have any slack built into them. The longer this goes on, the more it’ll cost the average Canadian.

It’s another example of the often invisible facets of the economy biting us, hard, when crisis hits. And a reminder of how closely connected we all are, and how fragile the global balancing act of day-to-day life can be.

Often when I’m out late walking the dog, if the winds are just right I’ll hear the mournful sounds of a massive freight train moving through the countryside. It strangely brings me comfort, and I’m hoping the silence ends before the costs begin to hit home for all of us.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #rail #train #track #travel #canon #canonphography #canon_photography #photography


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