Video shows man jumping from the tracks seconds before train speeds past
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A trail bike rider has been caught on camera jumping for his life from rail lines in Victoria seconds before a train sped past.
The dramatic video from the driver's cab of a train operated by V/Line — Victoria's regional operator — was taken last month on the Ballarat line near Ballan, a town north-west of Melbourne.
It shows a man, who is pushing his bike across the railway, narrowly avoiding an approaching high-speed train sounding its whistle.
V/Line driver Colin Sharp said the train was travelling about 160 kilometres per hour when he spotted the man on the tracks about 400 metres away.
"As soon as I saw him, [I had to apply] the emergency brake … and still went past him doing 147 [kph] at that stage," he told 3AW radio.
"He was pushing the bike across the bridge, which was a pretty silly thing to do.
"He's seen me [and] fumbled the bike trying to get the bike off [the tracks] and finally got some sense and decided to get himself off the track and leave the bike right where it was."
Almost 300 near-hits on V/Line network in past year
V/Line chief executive James Pinder said there were almost 300 near hits on the network in the psat year where drivers have been forced to apply emergency brakes or sound their whistle after sighting people near the tracks.
"Trains approaching at high speed are quieter than expected — and it can take nearly a kilometre for a train to stop once the driver applies the brakes," he said.
"The possible effects can be traumatic for staff, customers and members of the community, and cause disruption to services on the rail network."
Mr Pinder called on the public to stay safe near rail lines, warning that trespassing on railway property can be fatal.
"I'd encourage people to only cross railway lines at marked crossings, respect all warning signs and always look both ways as trains can come from either direction," he said.
Topics: accidents, disasters-and-accidents, rail, ballan-3342, melbourne-3000, ballarat-3350, vic, australia
