Strike averted after tentative deal reached in Vancouver transit talks

A tentative agreement has been reached to avert a strike by workers that had threatened to snarl the commute for Metro Vancouver residents who use the Expo or Millennium SkyTrain lines.

Translink spokesman Ben Murphy said the trains would be delayed by at least an hour Tuesday morning as the system is powered back up, but they would be running.

“The system was powered down last night in anticipation of a three-day shutdown,” he said.

Details of the agreement were not immediately available, but Murphy said once the deal is ratified Translink could talk more about the agreement.

The union had been prepared to begin a full strike for three days starting Tuesday.

Thousands of residents use the two trains and previous disruptions for mechanical or other reasons have left long lines of people waiting for so-called bus bridges.

The SkyTrain workers are attendants, control operators, administration, maintenance workers and technical staff.

Their contract expired Aug. 31.