'Extremely dangerous': pedestrians walk between cars of stalled CP train

In an act police described as "extremely dangerous," pedestrians were spotted walking between railcars as a stalled  Canadian Pacific train blocked the Richmond Street crossing for more than an hour Wednesday. 

With the train hobbled by a mechanical problem and blocking the busy crossing, some pedestrians were spotted climbing up onto the railcars and walking between them. 

"Some pedestrians [were] climbing onto the train and going through," said Richard Glew, who was waiting on a bus.

Others captured the act on photos posted to social media. 

London Police Const. Matt Hopkins said it's an act that is dangerous, and illegal.

"It's extremely dangerous," he said. "Obviously pedestrians don't know at what point the train could move and start up again."

Hopkins said it's also not the first time police have heard of pedestrians moving between cars of a stopped train. 

"It certainly does happen in the city," he said. "There's a huge safety issue with people not crossing at designated areas." 

He said anyone climbing rail cars could face criminal charges.

• Trapped by a 'pain in the butt' train? Here's how to complain

The train came to a halt at around 11:20 a.m., leaving north and southbound traffic halted.

"A CP train experienced a mechanical issue and crews are on scene working to get the train moved as quickly as possible," said Mallory McCredie, media relations advisor with CP Rail in a statement.

The blockage caused major delays on surrounding streets, including Oxford and Talbot.

LTC bus routes also saw major delays.

The train cleared the crossing at around 12:40 p.m.