Commuters at a train station in Australia were left doing a doubletake as an escaped racehorse joined them to wait for a passenger service.

The rogue animal turned up at Warwick Farm station, New South Wales, and trotted down the platform before pausing ahead of the train's arrival - when it even stood behind the yellow line.

Footage shared by Transport for NSW shows shocked commuters stepping back as the horse made its way past just before midnight on 5 April.

The transport authority saw the funny side as they shared an update about the incident on Facebook.

In a post about a "missing individual", they wrote: "He was reported to be wearing only a rug and demonstrating a bit of horseplay."

"He appeared to pursue an informant along the platform before unsuccessfully attempting to board a train service," they continued.

The post concluded: "No one involved in the incident is intending to take any further action as the individual was only horsing around!"

Local media said Warwick Farm station is near a racecourse but has not confirmed this is where the horse escaped from.