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Austrian ‘hobo’ rides the rails to Hamburg

A 54-year-old Austrian man needed to get to Hamburg in a hurry, so he hopped on a train. Unfortunately, it was a freight train, and he was riding between two wagons.

Austrian 'hobo' rides the rails to Hamburg
Photo: Austrian National Railways (ÖBB)

The man from Upper Austria jumped onto a freight train that was heading north from the Austrian city of Linz on Tuesday, carrying his suitcase but no valid ticket, according to a report in the news daily Heute.

By chance, he was spotted by the engineer of a passing train, crouched on the buffer between two wagons of the freight train that was destined for Hamburg.

The engineer informed the train dispatcher in Veitshöchheim, who called the police.  After seven hours as a rail Schwarzfahrer — the German word for riding without a ticket — and officers in Bavaria stopped the train and arrested the near-frozen man for questioning.

The bindlestiff was informed that in future, for the return journey he would need to buy a ticket.

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