TORONTO (Reuters) - A commuter train collided with a tow truck near Toronto on Friday during the morning rush hour, killing the driver of the truck and blocking a rail line into downtown Toronto, Canada’s largest city and main financial hub.

GO Transit, which carries thousands of commuters into Toronto’s core, said its 7:35 am ET train from the town of Milton to Toronto “made contact with a vehicle”. It closed the line and advised passengers to find an alternate route.

Peel Regional Police later confirmed the driver of the tow truck had been killed. Hundreds of passengers on the train had to remain on board until they could disembark safely to buses.

“Passengers will be off loaded shortly once transportation is in place,” Peel police tweeted.

Milton is about 56 km (35 miles) southwest of Toronto, and the Milton GO Transit line is one of the main rail corridors for commuters to downtown Toronto.