Those guys are
It's probably safe enough, if you think about it. Hold on tight, the train maybe goes at 50-70 kmph, if your in trouble theres plenty of people to reach you a hand. Fall off, and you'll roll around and go to the hospital, or even be fine, depending. Full on collisions are rare, even in shitty India
So for people w limited funds, clinging on to the train like this, is probably a daily routine that rarely ever causes much of a problem. Except when it crashes. And people explode into the air like a little halo of bodies w limbs.