GO Train Passenger Clings to Side of Train From Burlington to Aldershot Station

A GO Train passenger who hung on to the outside of a train as it departed from one station and entered another is expected to be charged for his “incredibly dangerous behavior.” The passenger was not hurt in the incident and entered the train as it stopped at Aldershot station.

The incident took place on February 5 at around 1:20 p.m. when a Metrolinx GO Train departed Burlington. A man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was reportedly unable to get on the train before the door closed so he clung to the ledge and grabbed the handle as the train started moving.

Shelle Papin, another passenger on the train who observed the man told CTV News, “I was looking out the window at this point, so I clearly see what this guy did. The doors closed, and the train pulled away, and he jumped onto the ledge, you know, that you step on to get into the train…It was moving and he just grabbed the handle.”

She took a picture of the man and said there was no employee around, so she did not know what to do. “I thought these terrible things, like what if a train comes by and he gets smushed? What if he falls and gets caught as another train comes by?,” she said. The train then came to a stop at Aldershot station where the man entered the train as the doors opened. Papin confronted the man but he did not respond.

She then reported the incident to Metrolinx and the company said it was already aware. The customer protective service team at Metrolinx is looking into the case and charges are expected to be laid against the individual. Crown corporation that runs GO Transit reportedly said, “There is absolutely no reason that justifies putting yourself and potentially other people in this type of danger.”

Vineet Washington