CLAREMONT — An Amtrak train struck and killed a man on Tuesday evening in Claremont, officials said.
Amtrak Train No. 56 was traveling from Washington, D.C., to St. Albans, Vt. “when an individual who was trespassing on New England Central Railroad track came into contact with the train,” Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman, stated in an Wednesday email.
Amtrak Police contacted Claremont Police about the incident at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Capt. Justin Laffin of the Claremont Police Department said in a Wednesday phone interview.
Authorities located “a single male individual struck by the train” roughly a quarter mile south of Claremont Junction, he said.
Laffin declined to provide additional details about the man as “it’s still an ongoing investigation … in the beginning stages.”
“We’re working, along with Amtrak Police, to find out what occurred prior to the incident and we’re also working with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to find out the cause of death,” Laffin said.
There were no reported injuries to the 53 passengers or crew on board the train, which “resumed its journey to St. Albans at around 9:15 p.m. and is currently operating approximately three hours and thirty minutes behind schedule,” Abrams said Wednesday morning.
Citing the Federal Railroad Administration, Abrams wrote that trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the country.
“These incidents can affect everyone involved — those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers,” he said. “They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and grade crossings.”
The Claremont Fire Department and Golden Cross Ambulance assisted Claremont and Amtrak Police in response to the scene.
