AN INVESTIGATION is under way after a two-year-old boy suffered serious head injuries when he was struck by a train on the main Bangor to Belfast line yesterday.
The train had been picking up speed after leaving Seahill station in Co Down at about 11.45am when the driver saw the child at the bottom of an embankment just 200 metres in front of him.
He immediately brought the train to an emergency stop but was unable to avoid a collision with the child, who was struck by the side of the train.
The driver called an ambulance and gave the boy first aid at the scene until the emergency crew arrived and brought him to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children.
The child's condition was not immediately known, but his head injuries were said to be "serious".
The Bangor to Belfast line was closed yesterday as investigations into the incident got under way both by the police and Translink.
Ciarán Rogan, a spokesman for train operator Translink, said: "This was a tragic accident and our thoughts are with the family of this child. We deeply hope that this child pulls through. Our concern is to find out how the child got access to the side of the tracks and that will be the main focus of our investigation."
There are gates nearby which maintenance crews use to access the tracks, as well as hedging and fencing along both sides of the tracks.
Passengers on the train continued their journey by bus and the line between Bangor and Belfast remained closed throughout yesterday afternoon.
It is believed that the child was alone on the tracks as the driver reported seeing nobody else.
"The driver was just departing Seahill station when he reported seeing a child by the side of the track," Mr Rogan said.
"He sounded his horn, applied the emergency brake and brought the train to a halt, but unfortunately the child had been struck by the side of the train," Mr Rogan added. "Obviously services have been stopped on the line and the police are there. Once they have carried out their work we will carry out our own investigation into the accident."