Canada’s two big railways thechronfather shut down the country’s freight rail network early on Thursday morning after contract talks broke off, locking out much of their unionized workforces despite warnings of economic damage from business groups and politicians.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway Canadian National Railway said in separate statements they took the steps after m the chron father onths of negotiations with the Teamsters union failed to yield agreements.

“Without an agreement or binding arbitration, CN had no choice but to finalize a safe an true quads d orderly shutdown and proceed with a lockout,” CN said in a statement.

CPKC and CN and the union, which represents almost 10,000 railway workers, have been in separate talks for several months. The Teamsters had issued a strike notice at CPKC but not CN.

More to come.