Metrolinx acknowledged Monday that some of its contracted train drivers are not yet fully vaccinated, despite a policy that required other Metrolinx employees to be vaccinated by Nov. 1.

Several GO Train trips were cancelled Monday, including some trips to Barrie, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.

Metrolinx Spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told CP24 the cancellations were due to driver illness.

But she acknowledged that contractor Alstom, which supplies Metrolinx with train drivers, has been experiencing some staffing issues as it prepares to implement its own vaccine policy.

“For our trains, they're operated by Alstom — an independent contractor still subject to mandatory vaccination — but they have their own policy that comes into effect in the next couple of weeks,” Aikins said. “But in the meantime, they did have some staffing challenges with illness and so forth. They have been under recruitment issues trying to get more employees.”

Metrolinx unveiled a mandatory vaccine policy back in August. When the policy came into effect on Nov. 1, the agency said it was putting 150 staff on unpaid leave.

“The good news is many of them have come back fully vaccinated and ready to work so the cancellations for buses are much reduced,” Aikins said Monday.

She said 35-40 employees who were put on leave have now returned to work fully vaccinated and that overall, 98 per cent of Metrolinx staff are now fully vaccinated.

It’s not clear how many train drivers provided by Alstom might be affected by the company’s vaccination policy.

Aikins said that along with Metrolinx’s efforts to recruit its own new bus drivers and other staff, it is helping the contractor recruit new train drivers.

“We're not just waiting on anything, we're actively trying and recruiting as fast as we can to get more employees on, so I'm feeling positive about it,” she said. “But there may be some pain in the meantime while we work out through everybody's vaccination policies and ensure everybody's one, protected and ready and available for work.”

She said the handful of trips that were cancelled Monday lie in contrast to the "hundreds" of daily trips that occur as scheduled each day.