What happens if lightning strikes a train?

Heard about Faraday's cage? That happens. Same is the case in cars, or any other metallic enclosed body for that matter. What happens is: nothing happens to the person sitting inside. But the one touching its outer surface would be at risk. read more

Trains are large metallic objects that are extremely well grounded in the electrical sense, so even the rather large current of a lightning strike can flow directly through the train to the tracks and to the Earth with no consequence. read more

The operator added that when a train is struck by lightning, the current flows around the outer shell - not through the cabin - and passes through the wheels to the track. The protection offered in a train cabin is based on the concept of a "Faraday cage", named after 19th century scientist Michael Faraday. read more

Normally, a direct lightning strike will simply create a small scorched mark on the rail due to a bit of surface melting. read more