A ban on all new cargo pickups at Canadian Pacific is coming tomorrow if a deal is not reached between two of Canada's major railways and its union.
A phased shutdown of the networks is already underway as a potential work stoppage looms on Thursday.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says it has instructed ships to "adjust their arrival times'' by slowing down to prevent further congestion.
A spokesman for the authority says about two-thirds of the port's cargo moves by rail, including 90 per cent of exports, and they're expecting disruptions to shipments of grain, potash coal and other key goods.