Boy, 14, rushed to hospital after falling while train surfing in western Sydney

A 14-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital in a serious condition after falling while train surfing in western Sydney, prompting authorities to warn those contemplating similar antics.

Blacktown train station.

A teenager has been rushed to hospital in a serious condition after falling while train surfing in what authorities have described as an example of “dangerous and reckless” behaviour in western Sydney.

Emergency services were called to the rail corridor between Seven Hills and Blacktown train stations about 10am on Monday after reports of a concern for welfare.

Officers arrived and were told a 14-year-old boy was believed to have been riding on the outside of a train before falling.

He was treated by paramedics before being taken in a serious condition to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

A NSW Ambulance spokesman said crews were called following reports the teenager had fallen onto the train tracks, with the boy treated for injuries to his back, torso, head and arm.

A generic image of a Sydney train. File picture: Tim Hunter

Police are investigating the incident.

Trains along the T1 Western Line were halted for 25 minutes while emergency services responded to the incident, causing significant delays.

“Lots of cops right now in and around Blacktown train station,” a man posted to social media.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said all trains were back on schedule by about 2pm on Monday.

“The safety and security of our passengers is paramount to Sydney Trains,” the spokesperson said.

“We remind those thinking about trespassing into rail tunnels, buffer riding or breaking into crew cabs of how dangerous and reckless it is.

“In the past year, trespassing in the rail corridor, buffer riding and crew cab entries have caused more than 52,000 minutes of train delays,” they added.

“That equates to more than 36 days’ worth of delays.”

In 2024, Sydney Trains reported an almost 118 per cent rise in buffer riding incidents, where people cling onto moving trains, on its network. In December alone, there were 39 such incidents.

In 2023, a western Sydney teenager was left with a shattered right leg, a broken left ankle and bleeding heavily from his head, after slamming into a pole while “buffer riding” an old model train between Yagoona and Bankstown.

Speaking to Nine last month, the now 16-year-old said he and his friends would regularly break into the crew cabins of older trains, hanging from the end or sides of the carriage in a dangerous stunt also known as “ridgy popping”.

That same year, videos of a teenager clinging to the back of a departing train at St Leonards Station also went viral.

“Buffer riding is not just dangerous to the person putting their life at risk – it also can have deeply traumatic effects on those around them if and when something bad does happen,” a Transport for NSW NSW spokesperson said.

“Sydney Trains works closely with NSW Police Transport Command to target and deter reckless behaviour, and provides CCTV footage to help identify risk takers.”

Penalties for trespassing in rail corridors can exceed $550, and rise to $5500 for trespassing on the Sydney Trains network.

Commuters can report incidents to train staff or at stations.