A SQUAD of bike and e-scooter riders have been captured cruising along the light rail tracks past a 40-tonne moving tram in Newcastle.
The Newcastle Herald understands the "highly dangerous" and illegal incident on Saturday was not a one-off, with drivers witnessing regular and at times distressing run-ins with people misbehaving on the tracks.
A group of 10 people, who appeared to be young boys, were seen riding west along the light rail corridor near the Honeysuckle stop just after 11am on August 30.
Some riders performed wheelies as the group rode spread across both directions of travel, on a stretch of track where no cars, bikes or other traffic was permitted, just moments before a city-bound tram approached.
Members of the group moved to the left and some were seen sticking their hands out or doing stunts as the tram passed.
A spokesperson from Keolis Downer Hunter (KDH), the organisation in charge of the local light rail network, slammed the behaviour as potentially life-threatening.
"Riding along a tram track is illegal, extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated on the Newcastle Light Rail," they said.
"We work closely with Police Transport Command, reporting all safety concerns along the light rail corridor. All light rail vehicles are fitted with CCTV, and relevant footage is shared with police."
Just three weeks ago for Rail Safety Week 2025, KDH released a compilation video showing "confronting CCTV of reckless behaviour" incidents that had been captured on the Newcastle light rail network.
In the footage, one cyclist was hit by a car, while another fell off when their wheel hit the tracks in a tram-only section of the network. Other lucky escapes included a ute that turned in front of a tram and was t-boned, and a car driving along a tram-only stretch.
''This latest incident is another important reminder of why tram safety must be taken seriously," the KHD spokesperson said on Monday.
"Riding a bike along tram tracks is particularly dangerous.
"Wheels can easily become stuck in the tracks, and trams - weighing 40 tonnes - cannot stop quickly.
"We urge parents and carers to remind young people about the potentially life-threatening risks of this behaviour."
In 2019, a cyclist died after attempting to cross light rail tracks in the CBD. Months earlier, another cyclist broke their knee in two places at the same crossing.
The KDH spokesperson said near-misses involving trams and pedestrians, cyclists or other road users not only put the community at risk, but could be "incredibly stressful" for tram drivers.
They said KDH provided support through counselling, a peer program, mental health first-aiders and through participating in events like Rail R U OK? Day to encourage open conversations about the challenges drivers face.