Inches from death: Watch the moment a 100mph train narrowly misses a girl on the rails

The footage shows the youngster jumping down on to the tracks, apparently to reach for something, before being helped back onto the platform by a friend a split second before the train rattles past.

The girl appears to have been uninjured in the drama, which happened at Adderley Park station in Birmingham as the train made its way to New Street.

Now the driver has spoken of the lasting psychological impact the near-miss has had on him:

British Transport Police released the interview with the driver, named as Dave, to warn people against the dangers of trespassing.

Describing the moment he saw the girl on the rails, the train driver named only as Dave, says: "Panic and fear kicks in. You're just waiting for the impact. The only thing I can do is apply the emergency brake and sound the horn constantly. "Whether she reacts to that or whether she doesn't react to it, and the rest is down to pure luck.

"It seemed like an eternity before she was dragged to safety. I missed her by inches. She was extremely lucky."

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "This video shows the real-life consequences trespassing has on train drivers.

"As the holidays draw to a close, we're urging people not to be complacent and to stay off the tracks by sharing Dave's story about the effect a near-miss in Birmingham had on him.

"He was left distressed when a woman stepped out in front of him to pick something up from the line at Adderley Park. Despite being pulled to safety by a friend, the woman then returned to the tracks to retrieve the item.

"All drivers are offered support following such incidents, but Dave's words show that if you do decide to trespass, it's not just you who's affected."