A bicyclist hit by a Blue Line train Friday morning near a busy south Minneapolis intersection has died, a Metro Transit spokesman has confirmed. It was the second light-rail fatality in two days and the third such incident in a week.

In Friday's incident, Minneapolis Fire Department crews had to extricate the male victim, who was trapped under a train car, and took him to Hennepin County Medical Center, said assistant fire chief Bryan Tyner.

He died a short time later, officials said. The victim's identity has not been released.

The bicyclist was headed south on a bike path that parallels the Blue Line, which runs along Hiawatha Avenue. About 6:40 a.m., the cyclist traveling at a high rate of speed turned onto the tracks at 46th Street and was struck by a southbound train that had just pulled away from the platform, said Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla.

Initial reports indicate that the bicyclist ignored warning signals, which included flashing lights, ringing bells and a crossing arm, Padilla said.

Train service was disrupted for about 45 minutes and buses substituted for trains between Fort Snelling and Franklin Avenue. Full service along the 11-mile line, which runs between the Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis, resumed around 7:15 a.m.

This was the third incident involving a light-rail train and a pedestrian in the past week. On Thursday, a pedestrian was hit and killed by a Green Line train near University Avenue and Hamline Avenue in St. Paul. Last Friday, a 25-year-old man was hit near Snelling and University Avenues. He was in critical condition Thursday night at Regions Hospital.

All three incidents are under investigation.