CCTV shows mum rescue baby from the train tracks with just seconds to spare

A terrified mum followed her baby onto the railway tracks after a pram rolled off the platform at West Ryde station in New South Wales, Australia. The terrifying incident was captured on CCTV.

The mother was distracted after another one of her children got caught inside the lift taking them down to the platform.

She turned around to help him but then calamity struck: the pram carrying her baby drifted towards the tracks and crashed to the ground, causing panic along the platform.

Without thinking, the mother hopped onto the tracks to save her youngest child.

Her other children sensed her fear and rushed to the edge of the platform – at one point it looked as if they might jump down and help her but a member of the public shepherded them away.

Other bystanders also leaped into action as the woman passed her baby up to them. They then dragged her from the danger zone and scooped the pram up to – just seconds before a train sped in.

Commuters breathed a collective sigh of relief as the massive train rolled past and they realised how close the family were to tragedy.

The video was released by New South Wales Transport chiefs to warn people about the dangers of leaving prams unattended at train stations. There were 5,000 "safety related" incidents across Australian railways last year, according to statistics available online.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance warned that more than 2,000 people fell over while using public transport because they were distracted by their phones or rushing about.

He said: "We take the safety of our customers and staff very seriously. There are around 12 million customer journeys on trains, buses, light rail and ferries each week and the vast majority of these are completed safely."