Train surfing

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Train surfing is a dangerous (and usually illegal) thrill-seeking activity which involves riders clinging to the outside of a moving train, sometimes jumping off either before the train goes too fast or after it has slowed down again. Practitioners are usually young people (under 25). Potential accidents include collisions with poles and viaducts/tunnels, electrocution from an electrified overhead wire or third rail, injury when falling/jumping off, getting run over by the train itself, and getting crushed between the train and a station platform.

The practice is a serious issue in South Africa, where many young people have been killed or seriously injured. It is also on the increase in the UK. While there are no official numbers, the London Underground is now running an advertising campaign against "tube surfing". The advertisements now at most underground stations show a female figure with one arm and the caption "she was lucky" next to it. The medias of Denmark have also recently shown a slight interest in the phenomenon. During the second half of 2005 and first of 2006, there has been several inputs both in newspapers and (especially regional) TV-news about the dangerous hobby. The channel TV2 even aired a short 8-minute documentary (exact date May 15th, 2006) about Train surfing interviewing the traffic chief of the Danish Railways (DSB for short) Erik Christensen, a hospital doctor in plastic surgery and two anonymous train surfers. The links for them are below.

The 'sport' was made popular in the 1980s in Germany and accross parts of Europe by a crew called the Trainriders. A video was released on YouTube and Google Video depicting the group's leader, a masked and hooded Trainrider, riding the famous InterCityExpress 'Bullet Train' from Hanau in Germany. The video claims that Trainrider died in 2006 from Leukemia, a year after riding the bullet train, but some claim the Trainrider may have faked his death in order to avoid undue attention. An extended video of the Trainrider and Trainrider merchandise are available for purchase at trainrider.net.

The Trainrider's motto was reportedly "You can only be free when you have nothing to lose."