Police officials in St. Petersburg, Russia reported that a teenage boy had been arrested for train-surfing on a high-speed train in Russia’s second largest city over the weekend. The boy managed to cover a distance of approximately 650 kilometers (405 miles) clinging to the exterior of the train.
Train-surfing is a reckless, dangerous and illegal act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or other forms of rail transport, that has gained popularity with teenagers and young adults in some developing countries over the last few years. It poses a risk of death or serious injury, due to people falling off moving trains, to electrocution by the train’s power or to collisions with railway infrastructure.
The teenager, aged 17, arrived in St. Petersburg from Moscow aboard a high-speed Sapsan bullet train from Moscow that travels at an average speed of 200-250 km/h (124-155 mi/h) and covers the distance of around 650 kilometers (405 miles) between Moscow and St. Petersburg in only about 4 hours.
The unidentified teen informed authorities that he had been seeking an adrenaline rush and intended to train-surf his way back to Moscow. Upon reaching St. Petersburg, he was apprehended and, according to a police report, confessed to engaging in this dangerous behavior on a regular basis for the last three years.
Upon being processed at the local police station, the teen has been returned to his legal guardians, who are now facing charges for violating parental responsibility regulations. Authorities mentioned that the incident will undergo a thorough investigation and emphasized that utilizing such a “highly perilous” mode of transportation could lead to severe accidents.
