(Toronto) A crowded Toronto airport commuter train struck and killed a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy Monday evening, officials said, as investigators sought to understand how the teens ended up on the tracks.
“This is a tragic incident,” said Martin Gallagher, chief operating officer of Metrolinx, the provincial agency that operates the train between Lester B International Airport. -Pearson and Union Station downtown.
More than 200 people were aboard the airport-bound UP Express Monday evening when the train struck teenagers on a stretch of track between stations, officials said.
Toronto Police Inspector Keri Fernandes said it was impossible at this time to know what the teens were doing on the tracks and whether criminal activity was involved.
“The investigation is ongoing,” she said Tuesday morning during a press conference.
The Toronto Police Service reports receiving the first emergency calls at 10:05 p.m. when a person was struck by a train near Weston Street and Eglinton Avenue West. Mme Fernandes said the first 911 call came from the train operators.
“These incidents are traumatic, both for the families of the victims and for those involved in the train,” she admitted.
Metrolinx said passengers on the train were held on board for approximately two hours while police investigated. They were then dropped off at Mount Dennis station. UP Express trains were suspended for the rest of the night, replaced by buses, but train service resumed Tuesday morning.
Gallagher, who is also Metrolinx’s director of safety and security, said one of the agency’s priorities would be to “address the mental health of those involved,” adding that operators would be off work for “a certain time”.
He also highlighted the agency’s efforts to try to dissuade people from crossing rail lines on its “long and vast network.” He said the agency was installing fencing and greenery around parts of the network, doing outreach to schools to discuss the dangers of trespassing, and working with police to enforce regulations where it is necessary. proves necessary.
“We take this very seriously and we do a lot to dissuade people from crossing the railway lines,” he insisted.