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Safety advice on last night trains

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GodAtum

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I'll be getting the last train from Blackfriars/London Bridge/Victoria - East Croydon during the Olympic period. I've never travelled that late before so I worried that it might be full of brawling drunks and sick on the floor and seats. Am i justified in being worried?
 
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westcoaster

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I'll be getting the last train from Blackfriars/London Bridge/Victoria - East Croydon during the Olympic period. I've never travelled that late before so I worried that it might be full of brawling drunks and sick on the floor and seats. Am i justified in being worried?



I've never had any bad experiences along there, if you want to fell a little safer or near to anyone sit behind the drivers cab at the front of the train.
 

LexyBoy

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Not used that route, but most last or very late trains in London have been fine - lots of sleepy drunk people, sometimes rowdy banter but nothing too much. Worst part for me was the pervasive smell of Maccy D's being consumed. Nothing to worry about safety-wise.
 

All Line Rover

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Personally I'd be more worried about what might happen when you get to East Croydon! It can be a dodgy area at night.

In my experience, the trains on that route are perfectly safe, at any time of day or night.
 

Deerfold

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I'll be getting the last train from Blackfriars/London Bridge/Victoria - East Croydon during the Olympic period. I've never travelled that late before so I worried that it might be full of brawling drunks and sick on the floor and seats. Am i justified in being worried?

I didn't think there *was* a last Blackfriars - East Croydon train.
 
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radamfi

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Trains from Victoria to East Croydon run 24/7. Trains from Blackfriars or London Bridge (depending on engineering work) run 24 hours a day except Saturday night/Sunday morning.
 
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calc7

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Train will be fine. As one person mentioned, I'd be more worried about Croydon. As another person said, the smell of fast food can be really quite rancid.
 

Lad Brookes

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Walk down the outside to the far end of the train- most the drunks tend to collapse at the first available seats, and will not make it to the far carriage.


The most extreme example of that I saw was the last service from Chester to Holyhead on a Thursday night last summer.
Did the classic move to Holyhead and back to avoid a hotel (last train into HHD 02:15, first departure 04:25), so wanted a bit of a doze at least.
First carriage I came to on the 2-car Class 175 was heaving with very loud drunks- virtually every seat was taken. Yet the front carriage was almost completely empty, with only about half a dozen passengers in there, and none of them loud. So I got my sleep after all!
 

ashworth

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Personally I'd be more worried about what might happen when you get to East Croydon! It can be a dodgy area at night.

In my experience, the trains on that route are perfectly safe, at any time of day or night.

I've done a few stays at the Croydon Travelodge which is approx 5 minutes walk away from East Croydon Station and I have always felt relatively safe walking from the station during the early hours. It hasn't worried me unduly and being used to living in a rural area I'm usually very wary of unsafe inner city areas.

If you have to travel to other areas of Croydon away from East Croydon station I would be more careful. Certainly when I once travelled back from Central London on the night bus there are areas especially approaching West Croydon where I wouldn't have wanted to have got off the bus.
 

GodAtum

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I'm confused about return tickets. Surely if I buy a return at 10pm why cant I use it to return at 2am?
 

LexyBoy

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Odd i cannot book a day return on Southerns website for 2200 on 28th returning 0042 29th.

Problems with websites meaning only unnecessarily expensive fares are shown? Surely not!

Seems to be a problem with how WebTIS separates out and return journey dates. National Rail Enquiries shows the fares correctly.

An Off Peak Day Travelcard is cheaper than the Anytime Day Return at £8.50 (vs £9.60) and valid any time from 0930 until 0429 the following day. I assume you want to buy online to benefit from some cashback scheme? If so just put in a return the same day, it will be just a valid.
 

tsr

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Problems with websites meaning only unnecessarily expensive fares are shown? Surely not!

Seems to be a problem with how WebTIS separates out and return journey dates. National Rail Enquiries shows the fares correctly.

An Off Peak Day Travelcard is cheaper than the Anytime Day Return at £8.50 (vs £9.60) and valid any time from 0930 until 0429 the following day. I assume you want to buy online to benefit from some cashback scheme? If so just put in a return the same day, it will be just a valid.

Off-Peak fares are discounted by 12% on the Southern website. I have heard that there are also cashback schemes in operation.

To the OP: as for the safety of the last trains - pick one with a guard, and go to the front, as others have said. People who are bored or look tense will occasionally get bother - something like reading a book, eating/drinking something etc. will make you look slightly more relaxed, and you're less likely to get any attention. A thief generally won't primarily want to confront someone with a hot cup of coffee, or someone who has no valuables visible! I find late trains in this area are crowded and I've never had any real bother, even when severe delays have made some passengers frustrated. As for drunks, just move away, if you can, and don't make eye contact. Simple stuff, really!

The above said, I don't necessarily look like the sort of person you'd want to speak to late at night anyway! Maybe that's why I don't get any real bother.

And yes, I do have reason to use very late trains quite regularly enough to know what goes on.
 

NSE

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Don't worry, last time I was in Croydon at good old Tiger Tiger, The Met roll the riot vans out by 11/12pm especially Thursday/Saturday at East Croydon station. I find the last (or rather night trains) to be relatively fine. Most drinkers are nothing more than merry, and as far as Croydon, it is generally busy as people make their connections there. So you'd be fine. You sound like a local, so I guess you know it's safer to sleep at Victoria or continue to Haywards Heath or Brighton rather than travel via West Croydon.

Note to self, don't ever wear Bose on ear headphones when changing between East and West Croydon Stations on the tram.
 

radamfi

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Odd i cannot book a day return on Southerns website for 2200 on 28th returning 0042 29th.

You can still buy it if you don't click on the actual trains. Choose 28 July for both directions, click the fare in both outward and return sections and then click 'buy now'.
 

tsr

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Note to self, don't ever wear Bose on ear headphones when changing between East and West Croydon Stations on the tram.

One can wear what one likes if one looks sufficiently like a complete oaf. I won't say "riotous oaf", because I will be accused of discrimination against the good folk of Croydon...
 

OxtedL

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If you happen to be in the right (wrong?) part of Croydon on a Friday/Saturday night you are quite likely to run into, in quick succession, mounted police, police dog unit, and police in full riot gear. They've never got as far as armed police when I've been in the area but who knows.

The immediate vicinity of East Croydon station is uncomfortable to spend any length of time in after dark but pretty safe in the grand scheme of things.
 

NSE

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One can wear what one likes if one looks sufficiently like a complete oaf. I won't say "riotous oaf", because I will be accused of discrimination against the good folk of Croydon...

Sadly, one cannot in Croydon. I still have them, but a rather scruffy young youth was asking me how much they were worth and wether he could try them out. He said he was interested in buying a pair (five finger discount *Cough* ) call me a cynic, but I know Croydon all too well.
 
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I've never had any bad experiences along there, if you want to fell a little safer or near to anyone sit behind the drivers cab at the front of the train.

Once got the last train from Brighton to Clapham Junction, the only thing we were bothered with was a bloke selling drugs. We just said no and he walked off.
 

NSE

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If you happen to be in the right (wrong?) part of Croydon on a Friday/Saturday night you are quite likely to run into, in quick succession, mounted police, police dog unit, and police in full riot gear. They've never got as far as armed police when I've been in the area but who knows.

The immediate vicinity of East Croydon station is uncomfortable to spend any length of time in after dark but pretty safe in the grand scheme of things.

I've seen the riot vans round the station a few times. Most of the time they're up by Grants/Tiger/Rehab. The place is swarming with police.
 

DXMachina

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if in concern for your safety the best thing is usually to avoid being alone.

if attacked make plenty noise and go for the eyes with either fingers, keys, or fluids (perfume/deodorant/coca cola). once you blind someone their capacity to do damage is vastly reduced
 

tsr

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Sadly, one cannot in Croydon. I still have them, but a rather scruffy young youth was asking me how much they were worth and wether he could try them out. He said he was interested in buying a pair (five finger discount *Cough* ) call me a cynic, but I know Croydon all too well.

It sounds like you didn't behave sufficiently like an intimidating oaf, then!

I too know Croydon... unfortunately.
 

NSE

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It sounds like you didn't behave sufficiently like an intimidating oaf, then!

I too know Croydon... unfortunately.

Oh no, I'm no oaf, hehe. Somehow, I'm quite proud of coming from Croydon.
 

NY Yankee

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I'll be getting the last train from Blackfriars/London Bridge/Victoria - East Croydon during the Olympic period. I've never travelled that late before so I worried that it might be full of brawling drunks and sick on the floor and seats. Am i justified in being worried?


Unfortunately, this goes with the territory. If someone is drunk, simply stay as far away from them as possible. If they get in your face, try not to engage them in combat unless you have to. You may or may not see someone toss their cookies-it's not the end of the world.
 
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