Daring Escape from Platform Turns Midnight Zurich-Vienna Dash into Drama
How a 24-year-old Smoker Held on as Railjet Hit 230 km/h
An Algerian traveller who stepped off the sleek Railjet for what should have been a twenty-second smoke found himself clinging to the side of the train as it thundered out of St Pölten on Saturday night. The moment the doors sealed and the locomotive surged west of Vienna, he became an unintentional action hero—hanging by a single hand as carriages hurtled at high speed.
The split-second decision
Key moments inside the incident:
- 22:47 – Scheduled minute-long halt begins in St Pölten.
- 22:48 – Passenger leaves the vestibule to light a cigarette.
- 22:49 – Train starts moving far sooner than he expected.
- 22:51 – He wedges himself between carriages and begins pounding on the windows.
- 22:52 – Conductor triggers the emergency brake; service train stands for 2½ minutes while the man is pulled aboard, coughing and shaking but physically intact.
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) spokesperson Herbert Hofer delivered a stern rebuke:
“One second of negligence like that can turn lethal,” he told reporters. “The ripple effect is enormous—first responders on the tracks, trauma for onlookers, schedule chaos.”
Knuckles, wind chill and a ticking clock
Once the night air started slicing past 200 kilometres per hour, fingers numbed and adrenaline surged. Eyewitnesses seated nearby heard a rhythmic thump-thump-thump against the glass and watched the silhouette of a lone man flailing between the cars. Within moments, the driver received the alarm; brakes screeched and sparks showered. When the staff hauled the 24-year-old indoors, his hoodie was ice-drenched, knuckles bloodied yet all digits intact.
Law enforcement takes over
Federal officers waited at Wien Meidling. Cuffs snapped on just before midnight, and officers escorted the smoker into custody for serious endangerment of rail traffic. An ÖBB insider noted initial tests revealed zero alcohol or drug influence, shifting the spotlight entirely onto poor judgement.
Déjà vu down the line
The episode replays a January spectacle on Germany’s flagship ICE. A Hungarian commuter held tight to an outside grab-rail for over thirty kilometres while the train roared at 250 km/h—prompted by the very same lapse: cigarette in hand, luggage inside, doors sealed.
Traveller tips rail chiefs now circulate:
- Finish your cigarette a full 90 seconds before departure time.
- Step back inside the train, not alongside it, the instant whistles are heard.
- Don’t gamble with emergency stops—they cost far more than a missed ride.
The Zurich-to-Vienna night service reached its final stop seven minutes late, a reminder that one person’s split-second oversight can ripple through the entire Central-European network.
