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It's hard Standing near the train track with a thumb up to hitchhike on trains. But a train ? Not really but there are other ways to get free ride on a train rides...

Standing near the train track and be == Train hitchhiking train ? It hardly.But we can succeed.==

== If Before youboard a train one option is to go to the conductor and simply ask them if you can travel without a ticket. It works surprisingly often. You can make up a story why you need to take the train and why can're in an organised [[Hitchhiking competitions|t you pay. One option is to simply say that you got stuck hitchhiking (which might be even true). You could also invent better stories but they should be trustworthy enough. Some people had also success saying that they are part of a hitchhiking competition]].It depends on the kind of train, on your appearance and on the kindness of the conductor if they take you with.You'll be surprised how often they say yes. In that case you can just enter the train and relax. But well if they say no you can't take the train anymore since they already know that you have no ticket. ==

== [[Train hopping]] ==In the [[United States of America|United States]], [[train hopping]] is still quite popular.In many states it's easier than hitchhiking..then it This is very possibleadvanced jump style. Choose your But be careful on this type of train . It is really dangerous and wait at the platformfailure can caused death and of course, you can get high penalty too (Pounds 1000 in United Kingdom). When the Threat is not only penalty like inside train arrives, work out who for passengers. == Tricks for avoiding the ticket control ==There are different aproaches for blackriding. Some people just sit and when conductor comes give their ID and get a fine. If you are a foreigner the fine might never get you but it is and run up to him/hernot always the case. Explain your situation Also in some countries (using an 'international language' such as English often works best, often better than speaking the conductor's native languagefor example Germany), show them some documentation you can go to prison for your competition and don't not paying train fines. So it might be afraid wise to beg. Telling a story about a dangerous experience two hours ago on trick the roadside (true or conductors somehow and simply notget controled...), and how much Oncce you get into it you want some safe and secure travel after the traumatic experience, works wellcan have great success with crossing whole countries without any problems. By this time, the Most important is to keep in mind that each train and each situation is now running nearly a minute late unique and there is a good chance that the conductor will say Yes, because he needs you need to end the conversation adapt and keep the train moving. So get in, sit back and relax :)use different tactics accordingly.

[[User:tmoon|Tom]] and his two team-mates tried using this trick when train through the [[Netherlands]] and [[Germany]] on [[Sheffield]] University's 'Bummit' hitchhiking competition. 9 out of 13 conductors we asked said Yes, and let us travel as much as we needed Hiding on their trains. It didna toilet''t work when the train was either crossing an international border, or it was a high-speed train, or the conductor just didn't want to bend the rules...

== [[Train hopping]] ==In the [[United States The most obvious trick is to hide on a toilet. The conductors of America|United States]], [[train hopping]] is course know this classical trick but it still quite popularworks surprisingly well. You can decide if you lock the door or not. In many states If the door is locked the conductor can see itand might wait until you get out. If you don's easier than hitchhikingt lock the door they are likely to pass you but other passengers might want to go to toilet as well. This is advanced jump styleFor that reason you might want to sit there with your pants down like if you'd be shitting. But It might be careful wise to just go to toilet when they are controling and then get out of the toilet again. IF you stay for an hour on a toilet it might raise suspicion. '''Hiding in a luggage compartment''' It depends on this type a train but often fast trains have shelves for luggage. What you can do is to look for a shelve which is partly filled but still offers enough space for you to hide in there behind your backpack. It is of traincourse not the most comfortable but it is not too bad either. It is really dangerous actually quite fine. After you hear the conductor walking by and failure asking people for tickets you can caused death get out again and take a seat. '''Dancing around''' The finest art of course, blackriding is to dance around the conductors. There are different dance styles and you can invent your own. You can pretend having a phone call and just pass the conductor while talking to a phone. You might also pass them with asking for a direction to a train restaurant. If the train has two floors well the conductor is in one and you dance through the other one... '''Running around the train''' When you see a conductor controling get high penalty too (Pounds 1000 out of the train and run around on the outside and enter the train again in the part which was already controled. In some trains conductors don't even look out of the train when it stops in United Kingdom)a station. Threat In other trains they do which can make it impossible or at least tricky to do this trick without them noticing. This trick is not only penalty like inside train suitabe especially for passengersregional trains with short distances between stops. '''Short distance ticket'''

== General train styles In some countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania...) conductor usually checks everyone in the begining and guidelines ==Train hopping in Europe then just ask for new passengers. So what you can do is generally easy as countries don't have to buy only a good system cheap ticket to track finesone of the first stations and then stay in. This means They will remember that if they controled you have for example but not what was your final destination on a Spanish passport and got a fine ticket. This trick would not work everywhere since in many other countries (France, you won't get Germany...) they control everyone not in the fine ever, except if you move to France one day and get begining of a job etcjourney but at some random point during the trip.

There are different approaches to train hopping but it's good to keep in mind that the ticket inspectors are aware of all tricks and games. You can try and stay in the toilet for the whole journey but in some countries and trains they can unlock the toilet if they suspect you don't have a ticket, especialy in central Europe (Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary). There are toilets checked by controller often especially in long-journey trains (EC, IC, SC). You could leave the door unlocked to try and fool them but that means every passenger would open the door as well... You can run around the train as well, trying to avoid the ticket inspector which may or may not work. These techniques may get you into more trouble and are generally not pleasurable but are very important for people with no ID since if you get 'Getting caught and the ticket inspector wants to write you a fine, they will ask for a passport and if you don't have one or refuse to give it it is very likely that they call the cops.''

So for people with ID, who are foreigners in the country, in most cases it is OK simply If you get caught you can try to find invent a quite place on the train, wait for the story (oh no where is my ticket inspector and kindly explain ? I had it right in my pocket.) or you can also just admit to them your situation (imaginary or not)that you have none. In a lot of countries the law says IF they are obliged to write ask you a fine (which for ID you will never have to pay as long as you give a fake address or can say you don't have one) but none and most of the time they may just kick you offout on the next stop and you'll take the next train. They may also threaten Sometimes they might want to call the policecops to get your ID. It depends on each person how they prefer to deal with this - whether to argue or not, whether to plea or not but just keep calm as if Generally some people think that when you get aggressive caught it is a valid reason better to get the cops on speak with conductors in English even if youspeak their language. In case They might think that you are just a ticket inspector actually calls the police without a valid reason (no ID, being aggressive) don't panic, the most that can happen is random hobo passing by and they search you and/or escort you off the train station.Generally, when choosing which train to take, opt for express trains - those with fewest stops, as you are unlikely less likely to get far with regional ones - and bother giving you may get stuck in a station where almost no trains stopfine. It's very useful to memorize (or write down) the timetable, so If it happens that you instantly know which get a fine it is the best train likely that it will never get to take after you get kicked out of the previous one.In central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania...) - you can use jump style tat your home country since it is called short distant ticket trick. Conductor usually check only new passengers and he do not remember their final destination. So you buy ticket only so easy for short distance and you show it them to conductor. But after final destination on get the ticket money from you if you continue journey, sit and sleeplive abroad. This Often times it is not complete free, but cheap. More difficult jump style is similar. Blue jumpr come and he check new passengers. You are new like that but you do not respond (sleep, look out of window, read a book).Around some big cities - like Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo - there are local trains without regular checking, only sometimes groups of inspectors in uniforms come. It is easy with these trainsno guarantee. These trains has lot of stops and trains go often (once a 10-60 (120) minutes, close Sometimes the fines actually get to Helsinki even once a 5 min, around Stockholm once a 30-120 minutes, around Oslo L trains once a 30-120 min).High-speed trains are good, because they have big distance between stops 50-200 km or more = (Pendolino, IC, EC, SJ SnabbTaag, TGV, Freccigarossa, Treno Italo, ICE, night trains). But ticket checking is usually harder (conductors in both sides of wagon and toilet checking too - in Italian Treno Alta Velocita). Usually they kick you out or they ask for ID. Sometimes, they call police or they make extra stop for you in small station with not so many local trains (without waiting room) or even in fields. It happens rarely, if you have bad luck for conductor or if you are too rude. And sometimes they give echo to conductors in next high-speed train.

The problem with TGV is that in some stations they control tickets before boarding the train. If they do so there is usually few conductors standing at the gates so you can't really sneak in. In some stations(usually in smaller towns) they don't have the gates so you can just get in the train without any issue. To get out is no problem as the gates are always open for those who are exiting. In the end of this article there is a list of stations that are known to have or not have gates... To get through the gates you can buy a seat reservation on ticket machines in the trains station. Seat reservation costs 10 euros and it is enough to open the gate for you. In case the staff would ask you for your ticket as well you can tell them that you have interrail and that your phone is out of batery and that you need to charge it in the train. Usually they don't anything.

''To read an old article with some usefull and some unusefull and outdated information look at'' [[Deutsche Bahn]] Germany has an extensive passenger a great railway system, network with different kinds of trains and it is very possible to travel without a ticket. Unfortunately if you get caught and don't pay there is a possibility of going to prison which makes the whole game more adventurous. ===RB and S bahn=== RB and S bahn are regional trains with many stops. Often times there is no conducter at all. If there is they often control just once. Sometimes they might control more often. It very depends on where you are. There are some lines where 90% of cases they control during the journey and other where most of the time there is no control at all.These trains can be often quite small which limits your hiding possibilities. The trains usually stop every few minutes so it often works that when you see conducter coming you stand up and start dressing up. Take your clothes and your stuff and walk towards and around the conducter like that you are about to leave on the next station. If they want to see your ticket just tell them that you need to get out on the next stop and keep walking towards the door. Usually it works. After this action take a seat again in the part that was already controled.Other option is to wait for the conducter and before they reach you get out in a station and run by Deutsche Bahnon the outside around the train and enter in the part where they already controled. In that case take all your stuff with you for the case you would not make it in time to enter the train again. But again usually it works. After this you can again sit down and relax. ===RE===RE are regional trains with longer distance between stops (10 or 15 minutes in average). These trains can be great for blackriding. Sometimes there is no control at all. Often times they control just once during the whole journey. This control can be any time. Usually if they control they don't do it in begining like in some other countries but at any random time during the journey. You can use any of the usual tricks of hiding or dancing around the conducter. Lucky thing with this type of train is that the next stop is not too far so even if you get caught you can just refuse to give ID and just get out on the next stop. ===ICE=== ICE are the high speed trains. You can cross the whole country with it. The controls are irregular. Usually they control after big cities. It can be that they don 't control for 2 or more hours but if there are big cities on the way it can happen that they control after each stop. Sometimes they just ask for new passengers and you can simply ignore them. Sometimes they control everyone.You can use all the usuall tricks of dancing around or hiding behind luggage or on toilet. Usually you can have quite good overview in ICEs. If you sit somewhere in the middle of the train you can often see to the next carriages through the glass doors in between. So the best can be to just sit down and look every now and then and when you see them controling in the next cariage you can go to hide or get ready for your performance. Don't stay for too long on a toilet though. They keep an eye on it. If you wanna be for longer on a toilet it makes sense to go out and change for another toilet every 5 or 10 minutes.The distance between stops is quite big and many of the ICE stations have cops in the station. That makes it kind of dificult if you get caught. Often times they don't bother and just kick you out. If you are unlucky they might want to fine you and if you refuse ID they might call cops who will wait for you on the station. There Sometimes there are also plenty cops on the train. === Hitchhiking trains with disabled people===Many (but not all) disabled people have a train ticket which allows them to take a person as their company for free. So if you see a blind person or a person on a wheelchair or other person who might have such ticket you can ask them if they can take you with onto their ticket. ===Getting caught=== These days many people have a ticket with which they can take all the regional trains unlimited. Since this ticket the controls are not so often because kind of everyone has a ticket anyway. IT can be that you take few trains and cross half of Germany with no control at all. But it depends. Anyway if you get caught it is good to refuse ID and just get kicked out. IF the conducter is asshole and if they have enough time to get cops you shall rather give them ID and get fined from the conducter. You should always try to avoid ending up with cops.The fine for blackriding is 60 euros. If you don't pay the fine there are two options. First is that nothing happens. Second option is that they make a court trial with you and sentence you for certain amount of day penalties. That means that you either pay certain amound of money (probably lower hundreds of euros) or you go to certain amount of freight days in prison. Yes in Germany they regularly put people to jail for riding trains !For Germans it is usually that the first fines don 't matter and they usually make you a trial after 3 or more unpaid fines. But thats just how it goes usually. It is no rule. It is unclear how it goes for foreign citizens. But what is important is that if it is cops giving you the fine and not just the conducter the likelyhood of getting a courtcase is much higher even if it is your first fine. So always avoid the cops if you can. '''Geting arrested''' If they catch you and you present ID they have no reason to call cops. If you don't give ID or if the conducter is especially asshole they might call the cops. In that case cops will be waiting for you on a platform. IT might be that after the conducter called cops they walk away from you and come back to you before the station. In that case use the chance and in the meantime go to other part of train and hide from the conducter. Change your appearence (scarve over your head, different clothes...) and get the fuck out without the cops or conducter noticing you.Other times the conducter stays with you and you have no chance to get away. In that case the cops will take you with to a police station. If you present a fake identity they might believe you or they might not and in that case they might search your stuff, take finger prints, keep you bit longer and so on. IF you present your ID card they will write you a fine and let you go. The whole process is maybe 30 minutes. IT is not a big deal. If you are no german citizen nor residennt they might want you to sign a paper that you agree with having an adress for this case on a local court. Try to not sign this paper. If they force you to sign it (they might treaten you with keeping you longer if you dont sign) your adress is then on a local court and it is your resposibility to go there and check if there are letters for you. YOu will of course not go to a random courthouse every two weeks and then it is very possible that they make a court trial with you without you knowing about it and the next time german cops check your ID you will either need to pay certain amount of money or you go to prison(probably for about a week or two. If you got fined more times it could be hoppedeven few weeks or months). More information about ticket prices So if this is the case that they caught you, cops wrote you the fine and you did not pay it is recomandable to carry always some money in cash with you (maybe 300 euros) when you go to germany so in case they control you that you can pay yourself out. ===Train companies=== Long distance trains are operated by Deutsche bahn. Many regional trains as well but some regional trains are run by other smaller companies. Some of these companies have a similar controling style as Deutsche bahn. Some are more active and strict with controling. Deutsche bahn conductors are usually not very active and blackriding can be found relatively easy. With the other companies it depends. ===Personal experiences:=== ''"I blackrode thousands of kilometres around germany in all different kinds of trains. In past i did not even hide so they caught me plenty of times and usually they would just throw me out. Twice in ICE they called the cops. Once I made it away and once they got me. I got fined and i did not pay. A year and half later the cops controled me while hitchhiking and i had to choose if i pay 180 euros or if i go for 10 days in prison. But still 180 euros is much much less than if i would always pay the [[Deutsche Bahn]] articleticket. Anyway these days they barely ever catch me. I find ICEs the easiest for not getting caught and making long distance but the most risky in terms of fines. So i prefer to travel usually by RE. There the risk is super low and you move still fairly fast."''

The local Since 2020, all modes of public transport - buses, trains (CFL) and the tram - have two floors; be aware that there is a ticket booth at the end been free of the first car - don't accidentially run in it, unless you want to buy a ticket. There are ticket inspectors toocharge throughout Luxembourg. If you want to get out of the country, be aware that the inspector will check tickets on the international train as soon as it departs, so, if the next stop is still in Luxembourg, you're screwed. The cops are not liberal.

train in United kingdom are quite fast, 200-250 km/h is quite common, so it is quite scary prom. Many trains have own stop list and it is very different for optimalize train speed. Interval to next train is usually 15-60 minutes. Distance between stops is 25-100 km. There are usually a lot of passengers in train, especially at afternoon. Because of Britain population is huge. ===Turnstyles===