BIDDEFORD — A Biddeford man killed in a collision with a train on Sunday was a waiter at a local restaurant.

Dennis MacGillivray, 42, of Biddeford was walking on the railroad track in the area between Westmore Avenue and Pomerleau Street around 4 p.m. on Sunday when he was fatally struck by a train, according to Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk.

The train Amtrak Downeaster train 696 was headed southbound toward Boston and carrying 87 passengers, said Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll. The train was stopped for about three hours after the accident. No crew or passengers were injured, Toll said.

Management at the 99 Restaurant at the Five Points Shopping Center in Biddeford confirmed that MacGillivray worked at the restaurant, but declined further comment.

Police have not said why MacGillivray was on the railroad track on Sunday. The area where the collision happened is in a business park, close to the restaurant where MacGillivray worked.

Fran Beaulieu of Arundel said she recalled being waited on by MacGillivray at 99 Restaurant.

“He was the waiter you wanted to have. He stopped by to tell jokes, had a big smile and was just a nice guy,” she said. “Such a loss for his family, his work family and the community.”

MacGillivray grew up in Holden, Massachusetts, and attended St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, according to an obituary on Legacy.com that was also published in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Rail Safety Organization Operation Lifesaver advises that all train tracks are private property. Not only is walking on train tracks illegal trespass but it is also highly dangerous.

It takes a freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour more than a mile, or the length of 18 football fields, to stop, and trains can not stop quickly enough to avoid a collision, according to Operation Lifesaver.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.