Woman seriously injured after Via Rail train from Montreal to Toronto hits car

A woman is in critical condition after the car she was driving was hit by a Via Rail train at a farmer’s crossing outside Montreal near Dorval on Monday morning.

Train number 61 that left Montreal on its way to Toronto at 6:50 a.m. collided with the car around 7:45 a.m. in the rural area of Coteau-du-Lac.

Sûreté du Québec, provincial police, told CityNews the 35-year-old woman sustained heavy injuries and there is “fear for her life.”

She was the only occupant in the car.

CityNews web editor Natasha O’Neill aboard the train said she felt the moment of impact.

“I was looking out the window at a small rural road when the train sounded its horn multiple times very loudly. I felt the impact of hitting something, it wasn’t overly hard but it was clear we hit something since I saw debris fly past my window,” she said.

“The initial shock is scary. You don’t think a normal route train will hit something, but it did … we’re getting some information in drips but it’s clear we will be here a while.”

Another passenger said most people were asleep on the train and were jolted awake by the collision.

“You heard this huge bump and the train shook, parts flew by the window and the train came to a stop,” said Chris Pang, who was returning to Toronto after visiting family in Montreal over the long weekend.

No one on board the train was hurt. An emergency exit window between the first and second train car was shattered and emergency crews were seen repairing loose panels in the roof of the train cars that were involved in the impact.

An announcement on the train informed passengers that a car had been hit and there would be a minimum two-hour delay. The train resumed service at 11:10 a.m., more than three hours after the collision. Via Rail trains 63 and 33 were also similarly delayed.

An investigation is ongoing.