Teen critical after fall from train on Sydney Harbour Bridge

A teenager has fallen from a passenger train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, suspending some services for about an hour as emergency services responded.

A medical team was flown to the scene to treat the boy after reports he fell from the train about 11.30am on Thursday.

The incident occurred on a train travelling northbound from the CBD in the rail corridor between Wynyard and Milsons Point stations.

The boy was taken by ambulance to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition with injuries to his head, legs and pelvis.

Sydney Trains confirmed the teenager fell from the back carriage of a Tangara passenger train which was passing over the Harbour Bridge.

Services were suspended in both directions for a period but have resumed. Delays are expected.

Safety devices were fitted to all 55 Tangara trains in the passenger fleet by the middle of this year to stop the dangerous and growing trend of teenagers riding on the outside of them.

The specially designed cones are angled metal covers that block access to the tread plate between carriages. It is the area often used by so-called buffer riders or train surfers who cling to the outside of moving trains for social-media videos.

Buffer riders have targeted Tangara trains, resulting in the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra line being the one most disrupted. Last year, more than 3000 minutes were lost to buffer riding and vandalism.

In March, Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray urged parents and carers to intervene and be aware of the potentially deadly act of train surfing after a 13-year-old boy narrowly avoided tragedy.

As part of an upgrade to the Tangara fleet, new CCTV cameras are being installed inside each carriage. The last of the K-set passenger trains, which were also prone to unruly behaviour and vandalism, was retired from regular passenger services in October.

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