Pedestrian killed by train in Maple Crest area renews emergency access concerns

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in southeast Edmonton's Maple Crest community, reigniting concerns about emergency access to the neighbourhood.

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in southeast Edmonton on Monday evening, reigniting concerns about emergency access to the area.

The crash happened between the Maple Crest and Tamarack neighbourhoods, which are divided by the CN Rail line.

Police were called at 7:30 p.m. to the crash between a CN Rail train and a pedestrian near 34 Avenue, just west of Railway Street.

The victim has not yet been identified. Both the EPS Major Collision Investigations Section (MCIS) and CN Police responded to the scene.

Geographically, Maple Crest only has three access points.

The neighbourhood sits on a pie-shaped sliver of land in southeast Edmonton, flanked by Whitemud Drive to the north and Anthony Henday Drive to the east and south. The nearest major road is 17 Street to the west, but getting to it requires crossing CN tracks.

The main route in and out, Maple Road, was blocked for several hours after the collision.

There’s another route in and out of Maple — Railway Street, a dirt road south of the developed area, which gives access to a flyover bridge that goes east into Strathcona County and also connects with 23 Avenue to the south at 17 Street. But again, that access point also crosses the same train tracks about two kilometres to the south.