Girl dies after apparent train-surfing incident, Metro says

It was not clear exactly where the girl was found, but video posted online showed yellow plastic caution tape was used to cordon off part of the platform adjacent to cars of a train in the Silver Spring station.

Train surfing, generally defined as riding outside rail cars, has been reported for years in this country and abroad, although such incidents have been vigorously deplored as both dangerous and illegal.

Last year, a 15-year-old from Silver Spring was found dead on Metro tracks near the Rhode Island Avenue station.

Transit police detectives said he had apparently been videotaping himself for social media when he slipped while on top of a Metro train.

Metro said afterward that reports of surfing incidents have been rare in its system and that it was collaborating with other agencies on finding the best ways to prevent the behavior.

It was not clear where on the train the girl killed on Friday was riding. In addition to riding atop rail cars, train surfing is usually defined to include riding between them. But it was reported last year that Metro’s count of surfing incidents did not include cases of riding between cars.

Metro said in its postings Friday that riding outside trains is likely to lead to serious injury or death, and noted that signs on doors between cars warn that walking between cars is prohibited except for emergencies.

The agency expressed deep sadness over Friday’s death and said its thoughts were with the victim’s family.