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Train Surfing, Bangladesh
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On many freight trains the traditional boxcar has given way to more secure plug door cars or intermodals. Containerization makes freight trains far less accessible than in the past. Even flatcars are becoming increasingly open; these bottomless cars are known as "suicide rides" or "suicide cars" by freighthoppers. Bottomless "grainers", "48s", "piggy backs", and other such cars can still be ridden, but as the name implies they are not to be underestimated and can easily lead to the riders' death or dismemberment if they are not careful. This shift in freight train production has been successful in making life harder for freighthoppers, but it has not destroyed the hobo lifestyle entirely.
Safety concerns
Hopping a freight train can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Freight trains are much faster and more secure than in the heyday of hoboing. Freighthoppers may face adverse weather conditions and develop dangerous symptoms such as frostbite and hypothermia. Additional hazards include being jostled off the train, arrested, or attacked by another hobo. According to author and journalist Ted Conover, a large percentage of modern-day hobos are ex-cons, and violence is not uncommon among the transient population.
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