Woman struck and killed by Green Line train in St. Paul

A woman crossing University Avenue in St. Paul's Midway area was struck and killed Thursday morning by a Green Line Train, Metro Transit and the St. Paul Fire Department said.

The adult female was passing quickly through a crosswalk at Albert Street and University when she was hit by an eastbound train around 11:15 a.m., said Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla.

Her identity has not been released.

Bells were sounding and lights were flashing at the time of the incident, which is still under investigation, Padilla said.

The train operator will undergo drug and alcohol testing, which is standard procedure in cases like this, Padilla said.

Train service was disrupted for about an hour. Buses replaced trains between the Capitol/Rice and Snelling Ave stations until about noon when regular rail service resumed.

It marked the third death along the 11-mile light-rail line since it opened in June 2014. Shana G. Buchanan, 42, an attorney, was struck and killed Aug. 1, 2014 near the Westgate station near the border between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Lynne Thomas, an employee of the Legislature, was killed on April 30 when she was hit by a train at University and Snelling Avenues.

This was the second incident involving a Green Line train and a pedestrian in the past week. Last Friday, a man was struck and critically injured near the Snelling Avenue platform at University Avenue. That crash is still under investigation, though preliminary information suggests that the individual identified in a police report as Nicholas Chapman was walking against traffic and signals when he was struck. He was taken to Regions Hospital.

"Our operators keep an eye out for intrusions onto the track right of way, but they are big machines and don't stop on a dime," Padilla said. "People need to heed the warnings," he said referring to bells, flashing lights and other safety measures in place.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768