Is train hopping a thing in Europe? Feasible? (A: yes it is but must dodge A/C pwr lines) (www.npr.org)

submitted 1 month ago by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/solarpunktravel@slrpnk.net

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It’s a sustainable means of transport -- at least until law enforcement clamps down on it.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/36305825

Train hopping is still a thing in the US, I suspect because freight trains are slow.

But what about Europe? Even the slow trains are fast. Although I say that only having seen passenger trains. Are there freight trains that are slow enough? What about controls? The article mentions thermal cams being used to spot train hoppers. I might expect Europe’s tendency to push for safety to manifest as rigorous controls.

UPDATE: found this→ https://hitchwiki.org/en/Train_hopping#Europe

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/36305703

Would like to add this to my lifestyle.

“Working remotely as a software engineer, the 25-year-old spends his free time combing through open source railway data and online forums to determine which trains to take, when they'll slow or stop, where to hide in wait and what type of train car to jump into.”

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[-] Hegad@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 weeks ago

idk, people die regularely while train surfing. One slip and you not only die but know what it feels like to have your extremities cut off. Extremely dangerous and not even easy to do, because train yards are camera controlled and because of many incidents the awareness and security on cargo train yards is pretty high. Trains do stop some times to let other trains pass and they do stand for hours sometimes, but since europe is so densly populated, you will constantly pass through train yards and stations. You would have to hide for hours, tensed up to not fall and deal with the constant loud noise of the trains. I would honestly rather pay the extreme high prices for tickets than to be in discomfort and the risk of dying for hours. Even if paying for tickets is not punk and the whole system behind it is totally corrupt and fucked.

this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2026

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