This is the heart-stopping moment a brave mother shielded her children who fell onto the tracks as a speeding train moved over them.

The unnamed woman and her two children were waiting to board the carriage at the Barh Railway Station in Bihar, India, when they were pushed off the platform during the commute rush on December 24.

Passengers raced to pull them off the tracks, but the train had already begun departing the station.

Dramatic footage shows the mum in purple clothes shielding her kids as all three of them crouched on the side of the tracks, with the train's undercarriage missing their heads by mere inches.

When the last carriage had left, onlookers rushed over to help the woman and her children.

Local media reported that her husband was separated from the family as he managed to successfully board the train. He was reported to have jumped back down after realising his wife and children had fallen onto the tracks.

The mum and her kids were taken to a nearby hospital and were in a stable condition.