A Via train travelling from Toronto to Montreal has been held up after a tree fell on its engine, according to passengers, who say they have been told to expect "significant delays."

Passenger Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, was heading to Montreal to attend meetings organized by the group when the accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. ET Friday.

"We heard a crashing sound, but the train kept moving for a short while before it came to a stop," he said.

Passengers were told over the public address system that there was "severe damage" to the engine, but no one was hurt.

"The impression we got is that Via will probably have to bring in a new engine," Dimant told CBC News.

The train came to a halt a few kilometres from Belleville. It then slowly continued to the station in the eastern Ontario city, where passengers are waiting to board buses.

"We're rolling into Belleville. Engine has power and can move but windshield is destroyed," another passenger identified as Jason Wagar wrote on his Twitter feed around 9:15 a.m. ET.

Via was not immediately available for comment and it's not known whether freezing rain contributed to the accident.

A storm that began in southwestern Ontario on Thursday and moved eastward has coated many trees in ice.