A woman was struck by a train as she tried to cross the tracks at 36th Street and Marlborough Drive N.E. (Tara Fedun/CBC)

A woman in her mid-30s is dead after being struck by a C-Train in Calgary's northeast.

Police said the woman was struck as she and a man tried to cross the tracks at 36th Street and Marlborough Drive N.E. just after 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The woman ignored bells and lights warning of two oncoming trains, said Staff Sgt. Brett Marklund. While she waited for a northbound train to pass, the woman didn't seem to notice the southbound train, he said.

She was taken to hospital where she died of massive head injuries. The man was not injured.

Investigators are trying to determine whether alcohol was a factor. They are also checking into reports the woman was wearing headphones.

"Common sense would suggest that if you're out moving about, especially interacting with traffic, you may not want to have your stereo cranked up real loud so you can hear it if someone is honking the horn or such," said Marklund.

Police said the man and woman were less than 50 metres from a pedestrian overpass.