A 100-car freight train fatally struck a pedestrian Thursday morning in St. Cloud, authorities said.

The person was hit shortly after 7 a.m. on tracks near the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue SE., police said.

A spokeswoman for BNSF confirmed that the pedestrian was killed.

Authorities were withholding the person's name until relatives could be notified.

The eastbound train, with three locomotives pulling 100 cars containing crude oil, stopped and blocked motor vehicle traffic in both directions on St. Germain Street and on 7th Street SE. as investigators worked at the scene, according to police.

Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder also came to a halt as the passenger train waited for the freight train to start moving again, said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.

The freight train resumed its travels about 10:30 a.m., allowing the Empire Builder to start rolling after a delay of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Magliari said.

Paul Walsh