This is the heart-stopping moment a woman was saved from a railway line at Strood station - seconds before a train arrived.

The passenger became trapped when she tumbled onto the track while running to catch her train moments before a high-speed service was due.

Heroes Billy McPhail and Gareth Acres sprang into action when they heard a thud.

Soldier Mr McPhail, 26, jumped onto the track and ran across to reach the stricken woman before Mr Acres then joined him next to the live rails.

The woman, known only as Barbara and thought to be in her 60s, was pulled onto the platform and taken to hospital with a broken ankle.

Now video of the daring rescue, at 6am on Thursday, has emerged from the Southeastern train's camera.

It shows terrified commuters signalling for the driver to slow down while the woman's rescuers were on the track.

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Mr McPhail, who lives in Essex and was visiting his family in Medway at the time, said: "I just didn't think of the dangers.

"I wasn't frightened or anything, I guess the adrenaline just kicked in.

"It was only afterwards I started shaking when another man said how close I'd run in front of the train coming the other way.

"I just wanted to help the woman and get her out. It happened so quickly, I didn't have time to think."

Father-of-one Mr Acres, from Lancelot Avenue, Strood, who was travelling to London, said it was an instinctive thing to rush to the aid of the woman.

He said: "I saw her lying there, her foot was at a 90 degree angle to her leg. It was just so quick I did it without thinking about the dangers.

"I see the lady every morning as I get the train, I think she lives nearby as she was able to call her husband and he got there before the ambulance took her away."

Video: Footage from the train shows the moment a woman was rescued from the tracks

Mr Acres, 30, added: "If that had happened to a family member or friend of mine, I would have hoped someone would have helped them too."

Other commuters alerted station staff, who warned all train drivers coming into the station to show caution and slow down.

Security guard Kieran Moore, 19, who was on his way to work at the St George's Shopping Centre in Gravesend, said: "I was just leaning on the lamppost when I saw the other guys run across the tracks.

"I looked down and saw the woman, she was in some distress.

"After she was lifted up I helped carry her on the stretcher with the other guys and the paramedics, she was in a lot of pain.

"But she thanked us, she was very grateful."

A spokesman for Southeastern said a full investigation had been launched, and added: "Although their actions were commendable we would never encourage passengers to get onto the track themselves as they could be in real danger.

"The first port of call is to alert station staff to the incident and they can get the power turned off on the track."