A man is hauled off the tracks by his backpack at the last second. A hatchback appears out of nowhere. A mobility scooter zooms in front of a tram without slowing down. A food delivery rider is almost sideswiped by an 85-tonne behemoth.<\/p>\n
Officials have released video footage of near misses in New South Wales and urged pedestrians, riders and drivers to be more careful near the light rail network during Rail Safety Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n The campaign comes two months after a pedestrian died when struck by a tram on Sydney\u2019s light rail \u2013 the second fatality in the city in two years.<\/p>\n Sydney light rail near misses<\/p>\n The NSW government on Sunday released video footage of \u201cheart-in-mouth\u201d moments showing light rail near misses in Sydney and Newcastle. Officials said there were more close calls on Parramatta\u2019s light rail system \u2013 which opened at the end of 2024<\/a> \u2013 over the past 12 months than on any other line.<\/p>\n People in western Sydney were still adjusting to the new mode of transport and its positioning on roadways, the government said.<\/p>\n The NSW transport minister, John Graham, urged those near light rail tracks to stay alert and \u201cfollow the rules to ensure your own safety\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThese moments are hard to watch because in some cases there is just centimetres or milliseconds from the result being so much worse,\u201d Graham said in a statement on Sunday.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is the right time to remind people that light rail vehicles can\u2019t deviate from their path and at 85 tonnes, when fully loaded, they take time to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Police said the pedestrian who died in early June in Surry Hills was attempting to cross between a light rail vehicle\u2019s first and second carriages before he was trapped beneath the tram. Paramedics treated him at the scene, but he died.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The incident was eerily similar to an incident in 2023 when a teenage girl died<\/a> after she was trapped underneath a tram in Sydney\u2019s CBD. Police told the media at the time she had been trying to climb between two tram carriages.<\/p>\n