A man was critically injured tonight when he was struck by a train in Co Down. He was taken to hospital suffering severe head and chest injuries after the accident on the Belfast-Bangor line in Northern Ireland.
A police spokesman said the man, in his early 20s and from North Down, was on the track about 100 yards from the station at Cultra, Co Down, when he was hit by a commuter train shortly before 6.30pm.
He said the man was alive when taken from the scene to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland and rail company Translink launched a joint investigation to establish the circumstances of the accident and how the man came to be on the line.
No passengers were injured but the train driver suffered serious shock. Rail services were halted and passengers were taken to their destination by bus.