SOUTH PLAINFIELD – An unidentified female was struck and killed by a Norfolk Southern freight train this morning on tracks operated by Conrail, authorities said.

The accident occurred between 6 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. on the New Brunswick Avenue extension, according to Glenn Cullen, borough administrator.

“A pedestrian was hit by a train. That’s about all we know,” Cullen said.

Cullen did not know the victim’s name or age or how she ended up on the tracks.

“We don’t know if it was a suicide. We have (police investigators) there,” he said.

Cullen could not confirm a report by a breaking news monitoring service that the woman was dragged. He did not have information about the train but said the train remained at the scene for hours after the accident.

A spokesman for Norfolk Southern said the train was headed west to Fairlane, Ohio when the accident occurred. The locomotive was pulling 43 empty cars. The train weighs 2,280 tons.

The train began moving again toward its destination at 10:25 a.m., the spokesman said.

The accident prompted a shutdown of the borough’s two rail crossings this morning, causing major traffic problems as commuters headed back to work following the holidays.

“Traffic is a nightmare right now,” Cullen said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.