An elderly woman's kind gesture to an agitated man on a subway train has warmed the hearts of thousands online.

Ehab Taha, a 26-year-old British Columbia resident was riding the SkyTrain from Vancouver to his home in Surrey on January 28 when he witnessed an incredibly touching moment between the most unlikely pair.

A man on the train had begun acting erratically, swearing and shouting and generally acting in an aggressive manner.

Pure kindness: The moment an elderly woman held an agitated and erratic man's hand on the train in British Columbia to calm him down has touched thousands online

Telling the tale: Ehab Taha, a 26-year-old BC resident was riding the SkyTrain from Vancouver to his home in Surrey on January 28 when he witnessed the scene

The passengers on the train, Ehab included felt increasingly uncomfortable as the situation continued, with the man's behavior appearing to be the result of substance abuse or mental health problems.

But just as Ehab was thinking about moving away from the man, who was intimidating in size on top of his concerning behavior, he witnessed another passenger do something extraordinary.

'While everyone was scared, this one seventy year old woman reached out her hand, tightly gripping his hand until he calmed down, sat down silently, with eventual tears in his eyes,' Ehab later shared on Facebook.

Ehab later told Today.com that after 20 minutes of sitting in silence, gripping her hand, the man eventually got off the train and said 'Thanks, grandma' to the woman as he left.

Observer: Ehab (pictured) explained that after 20 minutes in silence, the man left the train, saying 'Thanks grandma' to the woman as he left

Moved: Ehab shared the story on his Facebook, where it has since been reposted more than 31,000 times

'I spoke to the woman after this incident and she simply said, "I'm a mother and he needed someone to touch." And she started to cry.'

He added: 'Don't fear or judge the stranger on the bus: life does not provide equal welfare for all its residents.'

He later posted a photo of the moment on Facebook, showing the bald man in a leather jacket slumped on the floor of the car looking down as he gripped the seated woman's hand.

The story he shared with the photo quickly began being reposted - and to date has been shared over 31,000 times.

'I was hesitant to take their photo at first because I wanted to respect their privacy, but I decided to go through with it because I want to remember the moment for my memory,' Ehab told Today.com.