Rail crewman spots man's body on tracks

The victim, who appeared to be in his 30s, has not been identified

Last update: February 15, 2009 - 9:56 PM

A man was apparently struck and killed by a train in St. Paul Saturday night.

St. Paul police spokesman Peter Panos said that about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, a Union Pacific train operator called the train-dispatch center after spotting the man's body on tracks adjacent to the ones his train was on near Payne Avenue and Phalen Boulevard. The dispatch center notified authorities.

The victim, who appeared to be in his 30s, has not been identified, Panos said. Police do not consider the death suspicious, but they are continuing to investigate, he said.

"It doesn't look like he was hit by the train and knocked on the [adjacent] tracks," Panos said. "He was already on the tracks."

It's unclear why the man was on the tracks, Panos added. Transients are common in the area, he said.

CHAO XIONG