Passenger Clings To Cable Of German High-Speed Train For 30 Km, Survives

A ticketless passenger on a German high-speed train ended up clinging to the train's exterior after it departed the station before he was ready to board, according to police. 

The 40-year-old man, who had boarded the ICE train in Munich without a valid ticket, stepped off at the Ingolstadt station for a cigarette break. However, the BBC reported that he took too long and found himself locked out when the train doors closed, leaving him at risk of being left behind.

In a desperate move, he climbed onto a bracket between two carriages and held onto cables as the train sped towards Nuremberg at speeds of up to 282 km/h (175 mph). Federal police eventually stopped the train about 30 km away.

Witnesses quickly alerted authorities, who contacted the train driver, prompting an unscheduled stop at Kinding in Upper Bavaria. The intercity express was on a six-hour journey to the northern city of Lubeck.  

The man, a Hungarian national, told police he had left his luggage on the train during his cigarette break and did not want to be separated from it.  

Remarkably, a police spokesman confirmed he was unharmed after his risky stunt. "A state police officer who happened to be on board located the 40-year-old Hungarian 'passenger' and escorted him back onto the train," the spokesman said, adding that he was later handed over to federal police at Nuremberg central station.  

The man is expected to face charges for "an act disruptive to operations," categorized as an administrative offence.  

Federal police have since issued a public warning, urging people not to endanger their lives on Germany's trains.