A man working on railroad tracks in Santa Fe Springs was killed when a southbound Amtrak train struck him this afternoon.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m. at Valley View Avenue and Stage Road when Amtrak California Pacific Surfliner No. 774 traveling 80 mph struck the worker, Whittier police said.

He has only been identified as an employee of A-Ceco Inc., said Jason Zuhlke, spokesman for the Whittier Police Department, the primary agency handling the case.

Zuhlke said the man was working on track that was shut down, but as he pulled materials from the tracks he was struck by one of the approaching Amtrak train's ladders. The train dragged the worker about 30 feet.

"He sustained major trauma to the body," Zuhlke said.

Ivette Garcia said she was near the intersection driving back to work at a nearby photo supplies company after lunch when the incident occurred.

"So after train passes by, I saw that the victim was on the ground and his buddy was holding onto the body. . . . " said Garcia, 33, of La Mirada. "Everybody around started panicking, his crew were all hysterical, and I don't think any of us believe what had just happened."

While investigators combed the scene, the Amtrak train was stopped, awaiting clearance by the coroner's office, said Vernae Graham, an Amtrak spokeswoman.

The train, which originated out of San Luis Obispo at 6:45 a.m. today, was set to reach its final destination in San Diego at 3:10 p.m with 97 passengers onboard, none of whom were hurt in the accident. Two northbound Amtrak trains from San Diego were halted, she said.

Metrolink trains, which share the tracks, were also delayed, according to Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell.

Zuhlke said it would "be at least a few hours" before the scene was cleared.

"It's sad to say there are a number of these kind of collisions in that area," Graham said. "Most are suicides though, but workers have been killed before."

francisco.varaorta@latimes.com