GO trains heading into Toronto Nov 10, 2010.
A 17-year-old Mississauga high school student was hit by a GO train while walking along the tracks during the afternoon rush hour Tuesday.
The girl and a school friend were taking the tracks as a shortcut just east of the Port Credit station when a westbound train came up from behind them, police said. The friend got out of the way and was unhurt but the girl was struck and killed.
"It appears that they didn't know the train was coming," said Peel Regional Police Constable Fiona Thivierge. "It's a tragic, tragic accident."
The family of the girl, who is a student at a local high school, has been notified. Her name has not been released.
The stretch of the line where the accident happened is long and straight, allowing trains to gather considerable speed. It is blocked in by a chain link fence, but it is possible to walk onto the tracks at nearby level crossings.
Investigators are making measurements at the scene in hopes of reconstructing the crash. They are also planning to speak with witnesses, including the train driver.
They will also be looking at video shot from the train.
Service was shut down on GO's Lakeshore West line, the regional rail network's busiest, between Union Station and Clarkson in Mississauga for about two and a half hours. Passengers used their GO tickets to take TTC buses and streetcars to Long Branch station in Etobicoke. GO ran shuttle buses from Long Branch to Clarkson, where trains were still running to Aldershot.
The entire line was back up and running shortly before 7 p.m.
Adrian Morrow