after which he was transported to hospital. SPVM spokesperson Sabrina Gauther told The Suburban the man was in stable condition and

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A 71-year-old man was hit by a commuter train near the Montreal West station at around 4:20 p.m. last Thursday April 4, after which he was transported to hospital. SPVM spokesperson Sabrina Gauther told The Suburban the man was in stable condition and there was no fear for his life.

Gauthier added that the man was walking north on Westminster and was crossing the tracks near Sherbrooke when he was struck. “I don’t know the reason [he was struck], maybe he didn’t see the train” as he was crossing, she added.The man suffered leg and head injuries, and the conductors of the train were treated for shock.

The rail crossing at Westminster has been a locale of much discussion and controversy over the years. Recently, a train caught fire near the station. Cars, on some occasions, have also been caught between the barriers that come down when a train is passing by and the tracks.

During a 2018 council meeting, Mayor Beny Masella referred to the crossing as the riskiest in the country, which he downgraded from “most dangerous” as no serious accidents had taken place there up to that time.

“I’ve gone to all the major cities, and nowhere are there that many trains going through at a level crossing without a grade separation (separating flows of traffic with something like a bridge),” Masella told The Suburban at the time.