Drunk man stood on rail tracks as he tried to flag down a moving train

A man from Manchester was stopped by police after attempting to 'flag down' a passenger train going 40mph.

The 22-year-old had clearly had a few too many drinks on Bank Holiday Monday when he decided it would be a good idea to stand on the train tracks near Thorp Bridge Road and signal for the train to stop.

The train was forced to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting the intoxicated man, the Mirror reports.

The British Transport Police made their way to the scene where they took the man away from the tracks, out of danger.

A spokesman said: "Our officers were called to Thorpes Bridge Junction, Newton Heath, Manchester, at around 9.50pm on Monday following reports of trespass.

"On attendance officers discovered a 22-year-old man from the Manchester area, lineside.

"He was removed from the tracks and returned to his home address to be dealt with at a later date."

The BTP confirmed the incident on Twitter with an amusing post which read: "Strange one... a drunk man has been taken off the tracks in #NewtonHeath after he tried to flag down a train...not sure it works like that.."

A spokesman also said that the man not only risked his own life but put the lives of those on board the train in danger too.

In February this year another drunken man was recorded 'cheating death' when he staggered along the platform before falling under a moving train.

The Manchester Evening News reported that the man was incredibly lucky and not badly hurt in the accident, and station staff managed to help him back onto the platform.

Since 2010 nearly 7,000 people have been injured during accidents falling from the platform while boarding or getting off trains and 18 people have died.

Related articles:

473,661 tweets a year from furious rail passengers

Passenger breaks Essex ticket inspector's jaw and tries to throw him off train

Teen dies after being electrocuted taking 'ultimate selfie' on train top​