A woman was struck and killed by a Canadian National freight train Monday afternoon, October 19, 2026, in downtown Grayslake, near Grayslake Central High School, marking the second fatal train strike near the same stretch of track in four months and 10 days. Emergency crews found her north of Center Street, close to North Lake Street and Hillside Avenue, and she died from her injuries at the scene.
Crossings Closed, Traffic Rerouted During Rush Hour
According to CBS Chicago, Grayslake police responded to the crash just after 4:30 p.m. and said the collision happened northwest of the Center Street railroad crossing. Grayslake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ian Mandigo said emergency personnel arrived around 4:35 p.m. and closed crossings at Center Street, Route 120, and Route 83, directing drivers to use the open Lake Street crossing instead, per the Lake & McHenry County Scanner. Police said the investigation remained active with assistance from Canadian National, and as of Monday evening had not released the woman's age or additional details about her identity.
The crash froze rail traffic through Grayslake during the evening commute, causing service suspensions and delays across two Metra commuter lines, the outlet reported. Police had warned that the affected crossings would be impacted for an extended period while the scene was investigated.
Same Stretch of Track Claimed a Life in June
The collision occurred near the same location where 60-year-old Grayslake resident Virginia Girmscheid was struck and killed while riding her bicycle on June 9, 2026, a tragedy Hoodline covered in its report on the fatal strike. That earlier crash also happened near the Lake Street and Hillside Avenue tracks, according to the same account from the scanner outlet. Metra runs passenger service through Grayslake, while Canadian National Railway owns the tracks and controls dispatching.
The village lacks jurisdiction over railroads and has appealed for help with crossing safety. Safety advocates have supported four-quadrant gates at railroad crossings.
A Pattern Playing Out Across the Region
Illinois has about 7,300 track miles and 7,482 public crossings. The six-county Chicago metropolitan area accounts for 73% of Illinois' railroad-crossing collision risk.
Nationally, federal safety data analyzed by Operation Lifesaver showed a 35% increase in railroad trespassing collisions between 2018 and 2023, with trespassing remaining the leading cause of rail-related deaths, per Public News Service. Grayslake's crash also follows a string of recent Metra-area pedestrian strikes Hoodline has tracked this month, including incidents near Stony Island, in Bensenville, and near the Naperville Metra station.
Under standard Metra emergency protocols, train movement is typically frozen in both directions for two to three hours following a pedestrian strike so local police, transit police, fire personnel, and the county coroner can investigate and clear the track. Grayslake police have not released further information about the victim's identity or condition, and the investigation into Monday's crash remains ongoing.
