A 'train surfer' who boasted that he was not afraid of death has given up his stunts after he almost died jumping off a speeding carriage and into a river.

Matt Archer, 20, was left seriously injured after throwing himself off a train that was passing over a rail bridge in Melbourne and landing in the Yarra River.

The daredevil, who was part of a gang calling themselves the Sky High Idiots, was left coughing up blood, struggling to breathe and was rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

Mr Archer - who had previously hidden his identity - unmasked himself to admit he was wrong to risk his life for the sake of a few YouTube hits.

'Train surfer' Matt Archer, who boasted that he was not afraid of death, has given up his idiotic stunts after he almost died jumping off a speeding carriage and into a river

Matt Archer, 20, was left fighting for his life after throwing himself off a train that was passing over a rail bridge in Melbourne and landing in the Yarra River. His injuries are pictured

Previously he and other members of the group claimed they were not afraid of death and had accepted that they were going to die one day anyway.

But a changed Mr Archer told 7 News that his near-death experience had given him 'a new value for life'.

'It's easy to say "everyone's going to die" but when you're so close to it, it really hits home,' he admitted.

Mr Archer had a GoPro camera attached to him when he threw himself off the 50km/h train, but it was lost in the river.

He went into shock as soon as he hit the water and found himself unable to breathe as he spluttered up blood.

Describing the impact with the water as like 'hitting some very solid glass', Mr Archer said he panicked as he came back up for hair.

'The second I hit the water, I couldn't breathe any longer and i was in the middle of the river. I was all alone, there was no one there. I just needed help.

'I couldn't breathe. I got to the river bank. I was just spitting up blood.'

Mr Archer had a GoPro camera attached to him when he threw himself off the 50km/h train, but it was lost in the river (pictured)

Another member of the group, Scarlett Hudson, said she thought Mr Archer was going to die

The foolish young man says he is fortunate that a passer-by saw him and phoned for help.

Meanwhile another member of the group, Scarlett Hudson, said she thought Mr Archer was going to die.

'I was extremely scared,' she said. 'I thought I'd lose him. It was a very painful sight'.

Mr Archer believes Victoria Police picked up his camera and now expects to be charged.

The gang, who call themselves the Sky High Idiots, have posted a series of videos of teenagers hanging onto trains and taking posing for pictures

The accident comes after a string of videos of daredevils clinging onto the outside of trains were posted online by a group of teenage daredevils

Recent footage uploaded by the group include a video of a young woman - thought to be Miss Hudson hanging onto the outside of a train in her underwear, and a man - Possibly Mr Archer - clambering onto the roof of a carriage before it speeds through a tunnel.

Other videos of the group show them travelling through packed stations without commuters noticing.

The Sky High Idiots were already under investigation by the police before Mr Archer was injured jumping into the river.

The gang recently said that they have no intention of stopping their dangerous stunts.

'It's completely our decision and if we want to risk our lives doing that then it's what we're going to do,' one of the gang told 9 News earlier this month.

Recent footage uploaded by the group includes a man clambering onto the roof of a carriage before it speeds through a tunnel

Other videos of the group show them travelling through packed stations without commuters noticing

A male member of the group, who refused to be identified, added: '[Our] parents aren't really too thrilled about it but it's not going to stop us.'

Asked if anything could stop the group from clinging onto speeding trains, he replied: 'Not really unless it's death'.

Three teenagers have died in the last four years while riding the outside of the trains, but the irresponsible group say they are not afraid of death.

Joshua Greene, Jordan Porter and James Wilkinson all died in the last four years while riding on top of or on the side of trains.

Despite the apparently burgeoning craze, just 10 people have been fined for train surfing in the last year.