A driver was taken to hospital after a train struck a vehicle near Fallowfield Station in Ottawa’s south end on Sunday afternoon. First responders were called to a rail crossing at Fallowfield Road near Woodroffe Avenue at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to Ottawa Fire Services public information officer Nick DeFazio. Firefighters found a vehicle had been heavily damaged after having been hit and pushed several dozen feet away into a bush, DeFazio says. Crews found one person trapped inside and were able to safely extricate them from the vehicle in about five minutes. Ottawa paramedics say a woman in her 40s was taken to hospital in stable condition. Police say the woman’s injuries are non-life threatening. No injuries were reported among passengers and crew the train. “The railway crossing signals were confirmed to have been operating properly at the time of the collision,” Ottawa police say. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says it has been notified of the incident. Impacts to Via Rail service According to Via Rail’s website, Train 40 from Toronto to Ottawa is currently stopped at Fallowfield Station near the crash site. “We currently do not have a timeline for resolution, although we expect a significant delay before rail traffic can resume,” Via Rail says on its website. Via Rail says trains 647, 38 and 59 are also impacted. Darren McEwen, a passenger on Train 40, said the train was stalled for several hours and was without power after hitting the vehicle. “We felt the brakes came on pretty strong. We didn’t feel anything else, didn’t see anything else, didn’t hear anything else, just the brakes came on stronger than normal, and then we could smell a strong odour from the brakes,” McEwen said. In an update, he said passengers have been told to disembark the train and walk on the side of the tracks to Fallowfield Station. Ottawa police have closed Fallowfield Road in both directions between Holitman Avenue and Woodroffe Avenue. An investigation into the crash continues, police say. CTV News Ottawa has reached out to Via Rail for comment.
