Are there any trains where roof riding is legally possible?
I just read an article about the Indonesian railways, where they put low hanging concrete balls above railroad tracks to deter train rooftop riders.
Roof riding is common on certain trains in Indonesia, but it is illegal.
In Burma people also did it, but they wouldn't let us go up on the roof. What about India?
It was also popular on the tourist trains in Ecuador, but after two people cut their heads off a while ago, they are now very strict about this.
So are there any trains where you are actually allowed to ride on the roof? And how dangerous is it assuming there are no concrete balls in the way?
Best Answer
If you're asking specifically about India, I wouldn't advise it! Indian trains that run on electricity get their power feed from overhead lines rather than a 'third-rail' running parallel and inbetween tracks. Most 'mainstream' trains in India now run on electrified tracks with only minority running on diesel locomotives.
You might have gotten your idea of rooftop train travel from Bollywood songs such as this one called Chaiyya Chaiyya (from the film Dil Se). This was shot on a section Nilgiri Mountain Railway near Ooty which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still runs on steam-powered locomotives. If you're expecting to travel among locals on the roof that way, perish the thought! (I saw more tourists at Niligiri Mountain Railway than locals; the journey is definitely worth it though!) The music video was filmed under controlled conditions (obviously) and then there are parts of the track where the clearance between tunnels and and train roof is pretty narrow.
Just to be clear, the article in Karlson's answer suggesting roof riding is banned is not a new thing. This has always been illegal. It still does happen in places where local trains are crowded, by people who are travelling without tickets. And there's a very good reason why it's banned too, for safety reasons.
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Answer 2
Just found this article which states all the way at the bottom that the government in India banned riding on roofs of the train. I guess that happened after Uttar Pradesh disaster.
Answer 3
I remember seeing roof riding as normal on the Nile Valley Express in Sudan from Wadi Halfa to Khartoum. But this was on the BBC series Pole to Pole so around 1994. I don't know how much has changed on that line.
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