A man had to be helped back onto the platform after falling onto the tracks seconds before a train sped through a station in Australia.

In the video, posted on social media, the unidentified man walks down the platform apparently without noticing he is getting too close to the edge.

He falls onto the tracks before another man arrives on the platform, spots the person and runs towards him to pull him back to safety.

The footage, which shows both the view from inside the train driver’s cabin and from the station, was released by Australian rail network Sydney Trains.

In a post on Twitter, Metro Trains wrote: ”Imagine being in charge of 1,000 tons of steel travelling at 60km/h... and you're confronted with this.