Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway trains were expected to start rolling Friday afternoon after striking CP Rail workers were legislated back to work.

Legislation ordering about 4,800 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference back to work passed the Senate Thursday afternoon and received royal assent.

The House of Commons, early Wednesday morning, passed the Restoring Rail Service Act, legislation that ended the work stoppage.

“With no prospect of resolution in sight, the government acted to resume rail services,” federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in a news release Wednesday.

Besides restoring CP Railway services, the legislation sends all unresolved issues to interest-based binding arbitration.

The Teamsters Union went on strike May 23, shutting down all CP Rail freight traffic.

Many industries were affected including grain companies such as Gardiner Dam Terminal at Strongfield where 112 railcars loaded with grain were stranded due to the strike.

Although the trains were expected to be up and running again sometime Friday, it will likely take weeks for the CP to clear the backlog of freight.