Bicyclist dead after collision with light rail train in Minneapolis

A bicyclist was killed after being hit by a light rail train in Minneapolis Tuesday evening, according to a Metro Transit spokesperson.

It appears bells were ringing and the stop-arms were down at the corner of E 42nd Street and Hiawatha Avenue at the time of the incident, though Metro Transit Spokesperson Howie Padilla said it wasn't immediately clear what led the adult male to cross the tracks. 

The man was pronounced dead by paramedics just after 6:45 p.m., shutting down service on the blue line for approximately an hour and a half before resuming around 8:15 p.m.

At the scene, Padilla made a plea for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to be aware of their surroundings and not take risks, especially when safety equipment is deployed.

"It's never good to stand out here talking about these things," Padilla said. "We really want people to hear our message: People's lives are worth more than a few minutes."

The incident is under investigation by Metro Transit, which will be looking at video from the train to piece together exactly what happened.