Man killed in train strike near Hillsborough Street in Raleigh

A man was killed after being struck by a train near Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, a fatal crash that briefly shut down part of a corridor many Wake County residents know for its link to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and nearby campus traffic.

Raleigh police said the strike happened early Friday morning, just before 2:30 a.m., near Hillsborough Street and Nowell Road. By the time officers and emergency responders arrived, the scene was still active, with investigators processing evidence and keeping the area secured. Officials later confirmed the man died from his injuries.

The stretch of Hillsborough Street affected by the crash stayed closed for nearly two hours before reopening. In the pre-dawn hours, that corridor still carries meaning for drivers, workers, and pedestrians moving through west Raleigh, especially around the Fairgrounds and the roads feeding into the State Fairgrounds district. At one point, a train was stopped on the tracks while crews worked the scene.

Investigators have not said whether the man was on foot, whether he was near a crossing, or what led him onto the tracks. Those unanswered questions matter in a city where rail and road traffic cross through dense, familiar neighborhoods and where a single incident can disrupt access in a matter of minutes.

The fatal strike also came after another deadly train incident on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh earlier this year, near Pine Stump Lane. Rail safety groups note that more than 95% of rail-related deaths involve drivers going through grade crossings or pedestrians trespassing on tracks, a statistic that underscores how quickly a routine rail corridor can become deadly.

Hillsborough Street itself has been a major Raleigh thoroughfare for more than 150 years, and the area around the State Fairgrounds continues to change. The Blue Ridge Road underpass project nearby was reported in April as nearing completion after Blue Ridge Road had been closed for about 3 1/2 years, a reminder that west Raleigh is already managing heavy traffic shifts even before a rail emergency closes a main route.