Man Survives Clinging to Austrian High-Speed Train After Cigarette Break

A 24-year-old Algerian man survived after clinging to the outside of a high-speed Austrian Railjet train that departed from Sankt Pölten while he was having a cigarette break on the platform. The man jumped into the space between two carriages as the train began moving and later attracted attention by banging on windows, prompting the conductor to activate the emergency brake and bring him onboard. The train was traveling from Zurich to Vienna and arrived with only a seven-minute delay. Austria’s state railway spokesperson Herbert Hofer condemned the act as irresponsible, warning of the dangers not only to the individual but also to emergency responders. After the train arrived at Vienna’s Meidling station, the man was taken into police custody pending further investigation. This incident mirrors a similar case in January when a Hungarian man survived clinging to a German high-speed train for 20 miles after it left while he was smoking a cigarette.