Traffic on a busy northeast thoroughfare has been halted in both directions following a serious afternoon collision involving a CTrain striking a car.

The collision occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. near the intersection of 36 Street and 12 Avenue Northeast.

Tunkakan Kayalar was stopped at the intersection when he saw the northbound car attempting to make a left hand turn across the train tracks while the lights were flashing.

“It happened so fast,” said Kayalar. “At the last second, he tried to make a left turn. He didn’t see (the train), I can guarantee it.”

“The train just hit (the car) from the side and dragged it for maybe 30 metres.”

Kayalar called 911 and approached the damaged car.

“They were unconscious, both of them, senior citizens it looked like,” recalls Kayalar. “They were breathing for sure. No blood.”

The man and a women were trapped in the wreckage and fire crews extricated the injured pair from the vehicle using the jaws of life.

EMS transported the two patients to the Foothills Medical Centre in critical, life threatening condition with undisclosed internal injuries.

There have been no reports of CTrain passenger injuries. Shuttles are transporting Calgary Transit passengers between the Rundle and Marlborough stations.

Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area. A section of northbound and southbound 36 Street has been closed to traffic.