A 17-year-old boy is in a critical condition after falling from the outside of a train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge while he was likely train surfing, NSW police say.
asserted
police → fall → Bridge
Around 11.30am on Thursday, emergency services were called to the railway corridor between Wynyard and Milsons Point train stations following reports someone had fallen from a northbound Tangara train onto the tracks on the bridge.
asserted
someone → call → bridge
A multi-agency operation took place, with a Careflight helicopter landing at Bradfield Park a short time later with a medical team, including NSW ambulance paramedics who administered assistance on the bridge before carrying the teenager 400 metres to safety.
asserted
who → take → safety
The boy was transported by road to Royal North Shore hospital where he was being treated for multiple injuries including to his head, chest and pelvis.
asserted
he → transport → head
He was in a critical condition on Thursday afternoon, the hospital confirmed.
asserted
hospital → confirm → afternoon
Luke Barrett, a police transport command inspector, said the boy was hanging off the outside of the train when the incident occurred and it was “likely” he was train surfing at the time.
asserted
he → say → time
He was with two other people, Barrett said, who were assisting police with inquiries on Thursday afternoon.
asserted
who → say → afternoon
They had not been placed under arrest.
asserted
They → place → arrest
“Initial inquiries and review of CCTV [footage] and speaking to witnesses that were onboard the service indicates the male person was riding on the outside of the train in an activity which is commonly referred to as ‘buffer riding’,” Barrett said.
asserted
Barrett → speak → riding
“We would really like to take this opportunity to encourage any person that is considering or actively engaged in this type of activity to not get caught up in the social media hype, in the videos that circulate around … glorifying this type of activity.
asserted
that → like → activity
“This is highly dangerous, it carries an extreme level of risk and the consequences should something goes wrong, which [it is indicated] has happened here today, can result in very serious injuries or possible death.”
asserted
it → carry → injuries
Barrett said train surfing, particularly on the rear carriages, had been increasing, particularly during school holidays and the warmer months.
asserted
surfing → say → holidays
Barrett said the boy had not become trapped under the train when he fell and it was a “relatively straightforward extrication”.
asserted
it → say → train
He said inquiries would continue over the coming days.
asserted
inquiries → say → days
In September, passengers were barred from using the rear carriages of Tangara or “T set” trains, which run on the eastern suburbs, Illawarra, north shore, western and northern lines, including between Wynyard and Milsons Point, to prevent people from riding on the back of them.
asserted
which → bar → them
The policy was in force in a limited way for select weekend and night-time services, but was extended to every Tangara train for the school holiday period.
asserted
policy → extend → period
Train-surfing on Tangara trains has been popularised on social media where people have posted their experiences illegally “buffer riding”.
asserted
people → popularise → experiences
In November last year, the New South Wales government announced new safety devices would be installed across the fleet to physically prevent people from accessing the back of trains.
asserted
devices → announce → trains
The specially designed “nose cone” attachments block access to the tread plate between carriages - the area often used by “buffer riders” or “train surfers”, who cling to the outside of moving trains in order to film videos for social media.
asserted
who → design → media
There have been 12 serious injuries in New South Wales in the past five years, including a 13-year-old boy who fell from a train at Caringbah last September.
asserted
who → include → Caringbah
The acting chief executive of Sydney Trains, Jas Tumbler, said it was a “really tragic incident” that had occurred and said his thoughts were with the boy, his family and friends.
He said it had also been a “difficult situation” for first responders, who had to move the boy several hundred metres to safety.
asserted
who → act → safety
“You just don’t mess or play with a 400-tonne train; there will always be significant consequences and these are life changing events that occur,” he said.
asserted
he → mess → train
Tumbler said there had been around 600 incidents of train surfing in 2025 and were close to 150 this year, which was a large reduction.
asserted
which → say → 2025
But he added “each one of these incidents comes with a significant amount of risk”.
asserted
one → add → risk
“It’s just not worth the five seconds of social media fame that you’re looking for,” he said.
asserted
he → look → that
“We’re doing everything we can to prevent this activity … but it’s a challenge, and we’re always chasing our tail in this space.”
asserted
we → do → space
Tumbler said transport for NSW were still working to install CCTV footage across all Tangara trains, which it hoped would be completed by the end of next year.
asserted
it → say → year
The Aporia
