KITCHENER – Rail safety is top of mind after Wednesday's incident at a rail crossing in central Kitchener.
A woman is in critical condition and a child has serious injuries after they were hit by a train at the Lancaster crossing near Victoria.
It's not the first incident at this rail crossing.
There is a gate that comes down for drivers to block them from crossing here when a train is going through, but for pedestrians, there's nothing.
"There are no gates on the sidewalk and the other thing is, there are no signs," says Ron Bowman, a retired train operator.
He worked for Canadian Pacific Rail for 37 years. Now retired, his passion for rail safety remains.
"Signage would really help. Signage would help them to understand the implication of two tracks."
The city councillor in the ward, Sarah Marsh, agrees.
"We need to make sure that we put pedestrian safety as a high priority," she says.
She also says that the city can advocate for more safety at level crossings—currently, there are no traffic studies underway by the region at this crossing.
Marsh adds that she hopes both of the people involved are able to recover fully.
Metrolinx said it would not comment on the specifics of the investigation, but says in a statement that its concern lies with those involved.
"Our primary concern is the condition of the people injured and their families. We are also thinking about our staff who attended the scene and our customers that were on board the train as these incidents can be very traumatic," the company's statement reads in part.
Regional police are still investigating. It's not yet clear what circumstances led for the two people to be hit by the train.
