Crews on the scene where an incident involving an Amtrak train took place just off Main Street in Biddeford on Sunday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
BIDDEFORD — Two people died late Sunday morning after an incident involving an Amtrak train in Biddeford, authorities said.
Early Monday morning, Biddeford Police Chief Roger Beaupre said the preliminary investigation indicates the two people were lying on the tracks as the train approached. He said that based on the available video feed, the persons sat up, hugged one another and were struck by the train.
Authorities have not yet released the names, ages and hometowns of the two people who were killed.
The incident happened around 11 a.m., and 81 passengers on a stalled Amtrak train – which did not move for about 1.5 hours – were placed on a bus and moved to another northbound train. The Amtrak train hit the victims about 1,000 feet from Main Street in Biddeford.
There were no reported injuries to the passengers or crew onboard.
A 42-year-old man was struck and killed in Biddeford by a southbound Amtrak Downeaster train in April 2019. There were 83 passengers on board the train when it hit the man, who was walking on railroad tracks between Westmore Avenue and Pomerleau Street in Biddeford. There were no injuries to the crew or passengers.
In March 2014, Old Orchard Beach police said they believe a man intentionally stepped in front of a passing Amtrak Downeaster train at the Union Avenue railroad crossing. The man was killed as a result.
“We interviewed several eyewitnesses and based on what we can tell it appears to be a suicide. He walked into the path of the train,” a spokesman for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department said at the time of the incident.
Leeds said that according to the Federal Railroad Administration, trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America.
“These incidents can affect everyone involved – those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers'” Leeds said. They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings, she added.
Amtrak announced on Twitter that Train 694 had “terminated” its route and the passengers were placed on other trains. The rail service subsequently announced that two more trains were delayed. Amtrak tweeted at 1 p.m. that Train 691 was stopped north of Saco due to a trespasser incident, and that at 2 p.m. Downeaster Train 696 was stopped at Portland due to a trespasser incident ahead.
Downeaster Train 694 is terminating between Freeport (FRE) and Boston (BON) due to a trespasser incident ahead. Customers will be accommodated on Downeaster Train 696.
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 8, 2022
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