(Topeka, Kansas – January 18, 2014)
An as-yet unidentified Topeka, KS resident believed to be in his 30’s was hit and killed by Amtrak’s southbound Southwest Chief early Saturday morning at about 12:45 A.M. as he ran along double-tracked (main line and siding) BNSF rails in the vicinity of SW Topeka Blvd. and SW University Drive just south of Topeka.
Amtrak’s two daily trains, which share the same rail corridor with eight BNSF freight trains, operate through that area at a maximum timetable speed of 79 mph.
Shawnee County 911 dispatchers alerted the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Dept., whose deputies investigated the tragedy and were still in the process of notification of the victim’s relatives.
