Toll issues warning after railway track death

Toll Rail says the death of man hit by a train while walking across a railway bridge near Christchurch should serve as a warning for others.

The 63-year-old man was struck and killed by a single locomotive as he crossed a railway bridge over a stream near the suburb of Belfast at about 9am yesterday.

Police said the man, who was carrying a walking stick, died at the scene. His name has not yet been released.

Toll spokeswoman Sue Foley said there was nothing the locomotive drivers could do to avoid hitting the man.

The incident was a warning to others about the dangers of walking on railway tracks, she told The Press newspaper.

"People should never use the rail network as a place to walk."

- NZPA