This is the dramatic moment an Indian railway worker risked his life to save a child who fell onto the tracks as a train approached.

CCTV footage captured at Vangani Railway Station in Maharashtra on April 17 shows the boy walking down an empty platform with a family member when he slips onto the tracks.

With a train approaching, the railway worker sprints down the tracks and hauls the boy and himself to safety with moments to spare before the train speeds through the station.

The heroic employee has been named as Mayur Shelke and his actions have been praised widely on social media in India.

"He risked his life to save the life of the child. We salute his exemplary courage and utmost devotion to duty," said the Ministry of Railways online.

Railway personnel saved a child from getting crushed beneath the train in western India's Maharashtra on April 17. The incident transpired at the Vangani Railway Station.

CCTV footage features a duo walking on a vacant platform. Following this, the child falls onto the tracks after they drift apart while the person walking with the kid begins to panic. However, within moments, railway personnel rushes to the rescue and picks the kid up from the tracks, and saves a precious life.

Railway personnel, identified as Mayur Shelke, risked his life to save a child who fell onto the tracks. His courageous act and alertness were praised and lauded by all.