Are there any trains where roof riding is legally possible?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 20 Jul, 2023
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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.
It’s common practice on the iron ore train in Mauritania.
The train carries iron ore in huge hoppers. There are no roofs — passengers either ride with the ore or pay a small amount for a ticket in the passenger car. The scenery is barren desert, the ride is brutally uncomfortable, and temperatures are extremely hot. I rode last summer solo from Choum to Nouadhibou, here’s a picture to give you a better idea of the conditions. It’s safe for seasoned travelers, just keep your wits about you and throw away any romantic notions you have about riding atop trains. If you have any specific questions about the ride itself, let me know!
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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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.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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