Transport officials called the incident one of the most serious in recent years after the boy was rushed to hospital with suspected broken limbs and a fractured pelvis in Sydney's east.
It's led authorities to issue a fresh warning about the deadly train surfing trend, which has surged in popularity over the past year.
''This boy didn't just take a risk - he cheated death. As secretary, I've not seen a closer call,'' NSW Transport Secretary Josh Murray said.
The boy allegedly rode with a group of nine known as "buffer riders" and trespassers on the eastern suburbs line when he fell at the ghost station at Woollahra on Sunday.
Mr Murray said the 13-year-old survived by sheer luck, with trains forced to stop while first responders saved him.
"Had he landed anywhere but that unused flat platform at Woollahra, he would have fallen into a live rail corridor - helpless on the tracks, with the next train bearing down on him," he said.
''Fifty metres earlier, it's a dark, silent tunnel and certain death. And while he fell, his so-called friends laughed and filmed it. Strangers were the ones who saved him.''
Woollahra station was partially built in the 1970s but later abandoned due to community protests.
It will be completed in the coming years as part of a measure to create 10,000 new homes in inner Sydney.
More than 275 cases of train surfing were recorded across the Sydney network in 2025.
Sydney trains are being fitted with angled metal covers designed to prevent people from standing on the plates, clinging to the vehicles, and taking the dangerous ride.
Installation is due to be complete by the end of 2026.
CCTV cameras are also expected to be installed inside every carriage to prevent train surfing and vandalism.
Mr Murray urged parents and carers to intervene and be aware of these potentially deadly teen pranks.
''These young people are not only putting their own lives at risk. Members of the public have now been placed in danger, as well as rail staff and first responders,'' he said.
''Hundreds of people paid the price on Sunday, not just the teen in hospital with broken bones.''
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