Video shows people taking selfies on GO station train tracks

The act of taking selfies on the tracks outside a GO station while a train is approaching can best be described as "just plain stupid."

Those are the exact words used by Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins in response to video footage of at least three people risking their lives this morning to get some pictures.

The incident was captured on camera by Twitter user Carly Mohr, who shared two videos in which people can be seen walking across and standing on the train tracks at Kitchener's GO station early Thursday.

"Why?" reads a text overlay on the first video, which was posted with the caption "I seriously thought they were going to get plowed down by a train."

😰😰😰😰 pic.twitter.com/YNERzNmfmK

— ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ • Carly (@CarlyAlmighty) May 23, 2019

It didn't take long for Metrolinx to address the shocking video clips.

"If you were part of this group around 7 a.m. at Kitchener GO (you're likely still on [the] train) who felt compelled to trespass on live tracks, think about the risks you took for selfies," tweeted Aikins around 7:45 a.m.

"You cannot beat a train. Imagine the hell your family would go thru after receiving the news."

Another Metrolinx spokesperson, Nitish Bissonauth, pointed out that behaving in such a way could also prove costly with a maximum fine for illegally crossing rail tracks set at $5,000.

Folks, please do not do this. It is dangerous. Trains move along our rail corridors anytime and at any speed. You will lose against a train. Trespassing on rail tracks is also illegal. Always practice safety. Only cross tracks at proper crossings. https://t.co/7s7rgtmZvX

— Michael Mullett (@GOMULLETT704) May 23, 2019

The people in the video have not yet been identified, but Mohr did tell the Toronto Star that they made it back to the platform safely — if only just barely.

"I thought he actually got hit because I heard screaming as the train's horn blared," she said of one man, who "originally was just taking photos from the inside track but then moved further to the other side."

Nobody may have been injured today, but not everyone gets so lucky.

"Folks, please do not do this. It is dangerous," warned Metrolinx revenue protection officer Michael Mullett in response to the video.

"Trains move along our rail corridors anytime and at any speed. You will lose against a train."

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO