Authorities have not identified the person who was struck and killed Saturday night by a passenger train in North Berwick.
The Amtrak Downeaster train hit the person shortly before 7 p.m. It was the second fatal accident involving a train in the York County town since July.
Vernae Graham, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said a “trespasser” on the tracks was struck by Downeaster train 695, which was heading north from Boston. None of the 105 passengers or the crew were injured. Another crew was brought in to replace the workers who were on board when the accident happened.
The collision occurred 11 miles north of Dover, New Hampshire, on a section of track where there are no crossings and the maximum speed for the train is 60 mph.
North Berwick police investigating the incident were not available for comment Sunday, and Graham said no further details were available Sunday night.
The fatality was the second deadly incident with a train in North Berwick in the past two months. A North Berwick man was killed on July 23 when he stepped in front of a Downeaster train on the tracks near Town Pizza.
A U.S. Department of Transportation report released in 2013 said that 10 people had been killed, and five seriously injured, in collisions with either the Downeaster or freight trains since 2003. Since then, three other people were killed when they were hit by a Downeaster train – in Portland last October, another in South Portland in May and the man in North Berwick in July.
Fred Hirsch, state coordinator of Maine Operation Lifesaver, an organization that promotes rail safety, said the accident shows the inherent danger in walking along railroad tracks, which are private property. Trespassing on private railroad property is illegal, he said.
After such an accident, Hirsch said it is also important to recognize the other victims – the crew at the head of the train. Often the engineer and conductor cannot return to work for weeks and, in some cases, never return to the job.
“They see the fatality occurring right before their eyes and can do nothing about it since a train can’t stop quickly, even when the emergency brakes are applied,” he said.
Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:
Twitter: grahamgillian
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