Cyclist killed, northeast LRT shut down after collision

CALGARY – Police shut down the C-Train line at 36th Street and 20th Avenue N.E. after a cyclist was struck dead this morning.

Commuters lined up for city transit shuttle buses as police investigated the fatal collision that happened shortly after 7 a.m.

A man in his 50s was standing with his bike inside the barriers on the northbound track watching the southbound train go by when he was struck by the northbound train. He was killed instantly.

“He suffered massive traumatic injuries,” said EMS spokesman Adam Loria.

“There was nothing, unfortunately, that we could do.”

Police say all the lights, signals and barriers were working at the time of the accident.

The incident comes on the heels of several other recent deaths on the same stretch of track, raising questions about the safety of the line.

This is the third CTrain fatality in the past two weeks. Two other people have been killed on the same 36th Street LRT line since the beginning of September. Both were pedestrians.

Councillor Ray Jones says he will raise the issue in council next week. However, LRT managers have examined the intersection and say they see no safety deficiencies.

“Certainly for pedestrians, don’t jay walk, don’t attempt to cross until the arms have been raised,” says Brian Whitelaw, Calgary Transit Safety and Security.

The cyclists family has been notified and the driver of the train is undergoing counselling.