WAREHAM, MA (WBZ-AM)--A man and woman were fatally struck by a special holiday train Saturday night traveling through Wareham, Massachusetts. The “Train to Christmas Town” from the Cape Cod Central Railroad, was filled to capacity with hundreds of families, all of whom were first responders, invited for a special ride.
Police were called around 7:30pm Saturday night by the driver of the train and told two pedestrians had been struck. Both were declared dead at the scene. No one on the train was injured. The victims have not been identified pending notification of their next of kin.
At the time of the accident there were 355 passengers on board including 200 children. First responders from around New England and their families had been invited for the event. Officials from the railway say the children aboard the train were not informed about the incident but were told the train had run out of magic gas and had to stop.
The holiday train is based on the Christmas story "The Train To Christmas Town" written by Peggy Ellis and features a cast of storybook characters including Wabash the squirrel, Zephyr the cat, and Bumblebee the bear, all going to Christmas Town on the train. The train runs November 23rd through December 23rd leaving Buzzards Bay twice a day.