Durham police say an elderly man has died after being struck by a Via Rail passenger train in Clarington on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities say the man was walking past the tracks at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Riley Road, south of Concession Road 1.
Via Rail service was suspended on multiple routes throughout most of the evening for what it classified as a “trespasser incident.”
The Crown corporation initially told CityNews that train 66 from Toronto to Montreal was involved in a collision.
“No passengers or onboard service crew were injured,” a spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with those affected by this event.”
A tipster on board train 66 reached out to CityNews claiming the train struck something and then made a sudden stop.
Emergency crews shut down the tracks for an investigation which caused hours-long delays on multiple routes between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
The tracks were cleared around 9:30 p.m. and service returned to normal.
“Via Rail acknowledges that this situation has impacted the travel plans of our customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience,” a spokesperson added.