Woman dies after being hit by FrontRunner train

 SALT LAKE CITY — A woman died Thursday after she was struck by a FrontRunner train.

Utah Transit Authority spokesperson Carl Arky said after going through the zig-zag walkway, which is designed to alert pedestrians they are approaching a crossing, the woman and a man walked past the crossing gate which, along with the lights and bells, had been activated.

Arky said investigators believe the woman was watching a freight train on the Union Pacific tracks that run parallel to UTA’s rails and stepped out onto the FrontRunner tracks, not seeing the southbound train that was coming.

It is not known if she was wearing headphones and didn’t hear the train.

The woman was hospitalized in extremely critical condition and died from her injuries around 5 p.m. Thursday. Arky said her identity would not be released until after family members were notified.

#FrontRunner Update 2:27 PM: A bus bridge has been activated between Salt Lake Central and Murray Central due to a train vs trespasser incident. Expect major delays exceeding 20 minutes southbound from Murray Central and potentially northbound from Salt Lake Central.

— Utah Transit Authority – UTA (@RideUTA) July 28, 2022

“UTA asks all pedestrians and vehicle operators to observe all safety signals at railroad crossings, wait behind the crossing gate, wait for the red lights to stop flashing, look both ways before crossing, and to put away mobile phones and remove earbuds and headphones,” Arky said.