Sydney teen critical after 'buffer riding' fall from train on Harbour Bridge

A 17-year-old boy is in a critical condition after plunging onto the tracks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge while riding on the outside of a train. Emergency crews rushed to the rail corridor around 11.30am local time on Thursday, according to New South Wales police. He suffered injuries to his head, chest and pelvis.

Police inspector Luke Barrett said the teenager was taking part in a dangerous activity 'commonly referred to as buffer riding'. He was one of a group of three youths; the other two boys were brought in for questioning, and Barrett said there is no suggestion they rode the train too. Investigators are still working out how the boy fell.

A CareFlight helicopter landed at nearby Bradfield Park, where medics treated the teenager before carrying him to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital and remained critical. 'This is a tragic incident, not only for the 17-year-old himself but for his family,' Barrett said, urging young people to 'not get caught up in the social media hype'. He called the practice highly dangerous and 'not worth risking serious injury or even death for'.

The fall shut down train services between Wynyard and Milsons Point on the T1 North Shore line. Trains started running again around 1pm, according to reports. Jas Tumber, head of Sydney's rail operations, said the delays were 'significant' and had a blunt warning: 'You just don't mess, or play, with a 400-tonne train.' He added, 'It is just not worth the five seconds of social media fame you are looking for.'

Tumber said the trend wrecks more than schedules. 'These kids are damaging the cabs, causing damage to the trains; we then have to bring it back into the maintenance centre, which takes it out of service,' he said. Sydney Trains recorded about 600 similar incidents last year and close to 150 so far this year, he said.

The stunt has already proven deadly overseas. Last year, two teenage boys aged 17 and 18 died in Berlin after they hit a signal bridge while train surfing on the roof of a train, German police said.