by KYW's Brad Segall and Al Novack
A Septa Regional Rail train packed with commuters hit and killed a track worker on Thursday morning near Melrose Park, forcing the transit agency -- already overburdened by a strike against its bus and subway lines -- to suspend train service on several lines for hours.
Septa says service on the R2-Warminster line, the R3-West Trenton line, and the R5-Doylestown/Lansdale line were all temporarily suspended about 9am Thursday morning after an R2 train struck and killed the track inspector south of the Melrose Park train station in Cheltenham Township.
Septa spokesman Richard Maloney says the victim and a co-worker had been walking southbound on the tracks when they were apparently surprised by the fast-moving train approaching from behind.
Maloney says the southbound train had been operating on the northbound track because of an earlier equipment problem that forced Septa to "single-track" in that area.
The name of the victim was not immediately released but Maloney said the worker was an eight-year veteran of Septa.
Maloney added that service on the suspended lines could not resume until the main police investigation was complete. Service on the suspended lines was resumed about 11:30am.
With the transit workers strike shutting down all buses, subways, and trolleys in the city, many commuters have been relying on the regional rails to get into the city (see related story).
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