Aleysha Haniff and Sarah Ratchford Staff Reporters
A CN engineering maintenance worker with 32 years of service was struck and killed by a Via Rail train Thursday afternoon in Pickering.
CN spokesman Frank Binder identified the man as Rick McColl, 53, of Hampton, Ont.
McColl was killed about five kilometres east of Guildwood Station, a combined Via and GO Train station. The accident occurred around 1:15 p.m.
The train was en route to Toronto from Montreal and Ottawa, said Via Rail spokesman Malcolm Andrews.
The accident occurred on tracks between Whites and Liverpool Rds., a section of track that is not accessible to the general public, Binder said.
"The portion where the trains operate is strictly for trains. There're no crossings," he said. "It's just tracks that have predominantly GO Transit and Via Rail operating over them."
McColl was working near the tracks before he was killed, Binder said.
The incident is being investigated by CN and Durham Regional Police.
Inspector Dave Saliba from Durham police said two men were doing maintenance work on the tracks during a 15- to 20-minute window when no trains were supposed to pass by.
However, what appears to have been a miscommunication resulted in the Via train coming through, Saliba said.
One worker ran north while the other went south when they saw and heard the train approaching, Saliba said. McColl, going south, was struck by the westbound train, the inspector said, adding that the other worker was not injured.
Durham police do not expect to lay charges, Saliba said.
"It's just an unfortunate incident that occurred," he said.
GO Train service between Union Station and the Oshawa GO Station on the Lakeshore East line resumed at about 5 p.m. However, the backlog of trains caused by the police investigation could still cause delays, GO Transit warned on its website, and some trips were cancelled.
There were about 170 passengers and six crew members on the Via train, none of whom was injured. Passengers on board were provided with shuttle bus service for the rest of their trip.
Andrews said passengers making their way east from Toronto will want to check in directly with Via Rail to see whether their travel plans will be affected. Up to the minute information can be had by calling 1-888-VIARAIL.
Post a Comment