KINGSTON, ON -- A VIA passenger train en route from Toronto to Kingston struck and killed a person in the west end of the city late Tuesday afternoon.

Police have confirmed that one person is dead as a result of the collision.

The train was eastbound and had just passed Coronation Boulevard when the person was hit.

The engine stopped at the top of Rankin Crescent. The victim was found on the tracks west of the street.

Trains were stopped in both directions while emergency personnel were on the tracks.

The coroner was called to the scene, and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division and forensic identification officers were also called in.

There were no reported injuries on the train, which had originated in Burlington with a final destination of Montreal.

Around 8 p.m. the train slowly traveled the final few kilometres to Kingston station.

Among the 103 passengers on the train was Mayor Mark Gerretsen, who was returning from Toronto and the first Kingston Advocacy Day at Queen's Park.

"I was getting ready to get off, because not two minutes earlier they announced that we were six minutes from the station," Gerretsen told QMI Agency via cellphone approximately 90 minutes after the incident.

"We heard the train whistle blow, then felt the brakes kick in."

After the train came to a stop, a steward "entered our car and informed us that the train had hit something," the mayor said.

Minutes later, the steward returned with a grim update.
"He said the train had hit a person and that we'd be stuck here for a while."

The majority of city councillors and other city representatives in the contingent en route from Toronto were in a train following behind. That train was also brought to a halt and eventually was backed up to Napanee. Passengers were bussed from there to Kingston.

The mayor said he was "very impressed" with VIA personnel aboard the train.

"They were very professional in how they stayed calm and kept us informed.

"It's very unfortunate," added Gerretsen. "Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of that person."

Sam Roesch, who just graduated from Queen's engineering program, was at the station waiting for a train to Ottawa when an announcement was broadcast saying there would be delays due to an electrical problem. He said that soon after, a VIA employee confirmed to passengers that a person had been struck and killed by a train.

Passengers were told they could wait out the delay while the investigation continued or take a refund on their tickets. Roesch said he had elected to wait and try to get a train Tuesday night.

A VIA Rail official said service was expected to be back to normal in the morning.

--with files from Michael Lea, Patrick Kennedy and Sue Yanagisawa