Calgary

Woman, 19, dies after being struck by train in Banff

A 19-year-old woman died Thursday morning after being struck by a train in Banff. 

Investigators believe the teenager was wearing earbuds and didn't hear the train coming

A red train travels on a winding railway through snowy trees near an icy Bow River while the mountains appear in a snowy fog.
The collision closed the rail service's main line through Banff for roughly four hours. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

A 19-year-old woman died Thursday morning after being struck by a train in Banff. 

Banff RCMP and Canadian Pacific Police – a private police force servicing CP rail lines – say the woman was trespassing on the CPR's main line around 10 a.m. when she was hit by a westbound train. 

Investigators believe she was wearing earbuds and might not have heard the train coming. 

The collision shut down Canadian Pacific's main line for roughly four hours. The railway runs through Banff. 

Officials say an RCMP collision reconstructionist was tapped to investigate the collision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathon Sharp is a digital journalist with CBC Calgary. He previously worked for CBS News in the United States. You can reach him at jonathon.sharp@cbc.ca.