Father killed alongside daughter in Sydney train tragedy identified as Anand Runwal

The heroic father who tragically died while trying to save his young twin daughters from an oncoming train has been identified as 40-year-old Anand Runwal.

Witnesses watched on in horror when a pram carrying twin two-year-old girls rolled onto the tracks at Carlton Railway Station as the train bore down on Sunday afternoon.

As the girls’ mother Poonam Runwal reportedly screamed “save my babies”, Mr Runwal leapt onto the tracks in a desperate bid to save his daughters.

Bystanders tried to alert the train, but it was too late.

Mr Runwal and the pram were struck by the train, killing him and one of the girls.

CCTV from a nearby store captured the moments leading up to the tragedy, with the family seen walking along a footpath.

Mr Runwal is pushing his twin daughters in the pram as the mother is pulling a trolley bag.

7NEWS reported the two-year-old girl who survived the tragedy was pulled from between the wheels of the train.

An IT worker, Mr Runwal and his wife Poonam are understood to have moved from India to Sydney with their twin daughters in October 2023.

NSW Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan told reporters hours after the tragedy that responding officers could hear crying from underneath the train.

He said the parents had arrived on the platform via an elevator and taken their hands off the pram for “a very, very short period of time” when it began to roll.

“Whether it’s a gust of wind ... we’re not quite sure. But it appears that the pram has instantly started to roll in the direction of the train lines.”

Supt. Dunstan said Mr Runwal had gone into “parent mode”.

“Police responded, and other emergency services responded quickly, and saw the pram under the train, and could hear crying coming from underneath the train,” he said.

“Police climbed under the train and rescued one of the children, who was thankfully unharmed, and reunited her with the mother.

“Sadly, the other child, a two-year-old female, and her father who attempted to save the child, have passed away as a result of this incident.”

Mrs Runwal and her surviving daughter were discharged from St George Hospital on Sunday night. Supt Dunstan said she was being supported by friends and family and the local Indian community.

“But she’s clearly in a state of shock and struggling with what’s happened.”

Tributes to the family on social media included one from a school friend of Mr Runwal, who said: “‘Dear friends, it is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news of the untimely passing of Anand Runwal ( From 1999 Batch) and his daughter,” Sreyas Gopalakrishnan Thottarath said.

“Our deepest condolences go out to their family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the incident was a “terrible, terrible tragedy”.

“This is a very confronting and sad day for the St George community,” he said.

“I hope over time they can gain some small solace knowing that the father died from an extraordinary, instinctive act of bravery.

“That’s not going to bring him or his little daughter back. But it shouldn’t go unremarked upon in the face of a terrible, terrible accident, he gave his own life to try and save his children.”

Multiple investigations into the horrific incident — including a coronial inquiry — would identify any necessary changes to improve safety.

But Mr Minns said he would not immediately commit to any measures, such as the installation of glass barricades used on metro stations, until he knew how they could be implemented.

“We will take steps that we need to take to keep people safe,” he said.

“Unfortunately, public transport, particularly train stations, can be dangerous and it’s incumbent upon everybody to be as safe as possible.”

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the train, which was not due to stop, had approached the station with caution as drivers were instructed to do, but its speed would form part of an investigation into the incident.

All the relevant information, including CCTV footage from the station, had been handed over to police, he said.

The National Rail Safety Regulator has been notified and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

— with 7NEWS and AAP