How much ground clearance does a normal train have?

Minimum is 2.5 inches from top of rail to bottom of freight car per 49 CFR 215.121(a).

The height of the rails and the tie plates could have an impact on the actual clearance and height of the train.

If you have the crazy idea to plop down on the tracks and let one go over you, you risk being clobbered by loose chains, other debris, getting scared and lifting your head, etc. Pretty much a dumb idea all the way around!

The woman is very lucky to have survived, that’s some kind of special train. One of my cousins wasn’t so lucky, she was playing near the tracks of an ordinary American frieght, didn’t run away fast enough and got sucked to it and pulled under; there wasn’t much of her to recover. I’d hate to think it but videos like this are going to peak the interest of kids to go and try this out. urgh. But hey, thanks for sharing.

I saw that a woman survived under a train, and it is often the subject of action films.

It depends on which train service you are talking about, the different parts of the train that hang down and the variations in the area between the tracks make it impossible to give a single number.

I’d think if she was serious, she would have simply just stepped in front of it, or laid her neck on the rail. A fast moving train takes a very long time to stop. That’d been messy and I wouldn’t want to see it at all.