A driver was taken to hospital after a train struck a vehicle near Fallowfield Station in Ottawa’s south end on Sunday afternoon.
First responders were called to a rail crossing at Fallowfield Road near Woodroffe Avenue at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to Ottawa Fire Services public information officer Nick DeFazio.
Firefighters found a vehicle had been heavily damaged after having been hit and pushed several dozen feet away into a bush, DeFazio says.
Crews found one person trapped inside and were able to safely extricate them from the vehicle in about five minutes.
Ottawa paramedics say a woman in her 40s was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Police say the woman’s injuries are non-life threatening.
“The railway crossing signals were confirmed to have been operating properly at the time of the collision,” Ottawa police say.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says it has been notified of the incident.
Impacts to Via Rail service
In a statement, Via Rail confirmed no passengers or crew on Train 40 were injured and said alternative transportation has been provided to affected passengers.
“We recognize that this situation had an impact on our customers’ travel plans and regret the inconvenience it caused,” a spokesperson said.
According to Via Rail’s website, passengers on the train involved in the collision have disembarked at Fallowfield Station and were given alternative transportation back to Ottawa.
In an update at 7:30 p.m., Via Rail said service had resumed. The incident also caused delays for trains 38, 44, 59 and 647.
Darren McEwen, a passenger on Train 40, said the train was stalled for several hours and was without power after hitting the vehicle.
“We felt the brakes came on pretty strong. We didn’t feel anything else, didn’t see anything else, didn’t hear anything else, just the brakes came on stronger than normal, and then we could smell a strong odour from the brakes,” McEwen said.
He said attempts to bring in another train to take the passengers back to Ottawa were unsuccessful and they were eventually asked to disembark and walk a short distance to Fallowfield Station.
Ottawa police say Fallowfield Road remains closed in both directions between Holitman Avenue and Woodroffe Avenue.
An investigation into the crash continues, police say.
