Man on Raleigh railroad tracks latest in NC to be hit and killed by Amtrak train

A man was hit and killed by an Amtrak train Sunday night near Pullen Park and Raleigh Union Station, according to Raleigh police.

The family of the victim has been notified, and his identity won’t be released to the public, Raleigh Police Department spokesman Lt. Jason Borneo said.

The pedestrian was fatally struck at around 9:30 p.m. near 410 Ashe Avenue.

The Silver Star Train 91 involved in the incident departed from New York on Sunday and was stopped “due to a trespasser incident,” according to an Amtrak alert on Twitter.

Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods confirmed that a man who was trespassing was struck.

There have been no reported injuries to the 165 people onboard the train and Amtrak is working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident, Woods said in an email.

According to the US Department of Transportation, “it is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing.” There are more than 400 deaths in the US each year due to trespassing on railroad tracks.

Recent Amtrak fatalities in NC

▪ Before Sunday’s incident, a teen was hit and killed by an Amtrak train in Mebane on June 29. The victim was 18 years old was reportedly hit from behind on the tracks while walking with headphones on, according to WXII 12.

▪ Earlier that same month, on the morning of June 16, another person was fatally struck by Amtrak train 73 in Burlington, Fox 8 reported.

▪ A man was struck fatally by Amtrak train 78 on May 16 at Blue Ridge Road and Beryl Road between Cary and Raleigh.

▪ A person was also hit and killed on train tracks by an Amtrak train traveling from Raleigh to Charlotte on March 30.

▪ An 81-year-old woman was killed when she reportedly stepped in front of an Amtrak train in the town of Benson in Johnson County in December, The News & Observer reported.