'The safety and well-being of our railroaders remains our highest priority'
A 30-year-old railway employee died overnight Saturday after being struck by a moving train near De Lorimier Avenue and Notre-Dame Street in Montreal's Ville-Marie borough, close to the Jacques-Cartier bridge, Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed.
The incident occurred at approximately 3 a.m. on September 12, 2026. SPVM spokesperson Manuel Couture said "the victim was a railroad employee who was working on the tracks when a train began moving," according to initial reports cited by CTV News.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the Calgary-based rail operator, confirmed the deceased was one of its employees, working at the Port of Montreal at the time, CTV News reported.
Employer and union response
CPKC spokesperson André Hannoush said the company extends its "deepest sympathies to the employee's family, loved ones and co-workers during this difficult time," adding that "the safety and well-being of our railroaders remains our highest priority."
Teamsters Canada, which represents rail workers, released a joint statement from President François Laporte and Rail Conference President Paul Boucher. "A railroader left for their shift last night and did not come home. Nothing else matters today," the statement read, as reported by CTV News.
The union said it would press both government and rail companies for answers — a posture consistent with sustained labour pressure amid rising workplace fatality rates across several Canadian industries.
Investigations underway
The SPVM's south division is leading the criminal investigation, with crime scene technicians analyzing the site.
The federal Transportation Safety Board (TSB) confirmed it deployed investigators to the scene to "gather information and assess the occurrence." The TSB does not assign fault or determine liability.
Both the SPVM and TSB investigations remain active, and the exact circumstances of the incident have not been publicly established.
