'Train Surfing' Resurges on TikTok
Walking or Running on the Roof of a Moving Train
In Germany, two teenagers died in an accident while engaging in so-called "train surfing," which involves climbing onto the roof of a moving train.
According to the German daily Tagesspiegel and other local media on April 28 (local time), local police reported that at around 5:20 a.m. the previous day, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old collided with a signal structure and died while on top of a Berlin S-Bahn urban rapid transit train operating near Wannsee station in southwestern Berlin.
Train surfing refers to the act of climbing onto and walking or running on top of a moving train. It was popular in some countries in the 1990s and has recently resurged over the past few years on social networking services (SNS) such as TikTok. Most participants aim to upload videos to SNS to increase their view counts. In New York, United States, where subway roofs are commonly used for train surfing, police have reported more than 500 cases in a single year.
In Berlin as well, accidents related to climbing onto the roofs of S-Bahn or U-Bahn (subway) trains continue to occur. In February of this year, a 12-year-old was left in critical condition after injuring his leg while train surfing on the S-Bahn. Two years ago, a 19-year-old died after suffering a head injury on the roof of an S-Bahn train.
The German Federal Police have warned that remaining in track areas or boarding moving trains without authorization is dangerous. Attempting to climb onto train cars can result in electrocution, and such actions can also endanger other passengers on board. Police stated, "Fatal dangers arise not only from the operation of the trains, but also from electrified components."
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