Worst route(s) in UK for anti-social behaviour

[Harry Roberts]

Hi.

I'd be interested to see what everyone thinks is the worst route that people work/have worked on for general trouble is - i.e. drunks, fare dodgers etc.

When I used to work on the North Clyde line for Scotrail many years ago, everyone used to dread going to Balloch, particularly during the nice summer weather. It seemed to attract all of the undesirables within a 20 miles radius of the place. Also the part of that route between Dumbarton East and Balloch was a nightmare for drug addicts fare dodging at all times throughout the day. Hamilton and Blantyre were other areas that used to see their fair share of trouble as well.

What's the worst route you've ever had to work?

 

[cf111]

Some of the East Coast services from Aberdeen were horrendous. Filled with people off the rigs who hadn't seen drink in weeks. I think at least one of them is now a "dry train".

 

[sd0733]

Welcome to the forum!

Without a shadow of a doubt the worst route we have is Liverpool-Crewe. Horrible route full of fighting, anti-social behaviour etc. My record for one train on that route was 39 police to one train. never had police to any train on any other route and when I see late night Fri/Sat night trains in other areas they seem really civilised. Some of these Liverpools are now designated dry trains

 

[northwichcat]

Wigan-Kirkby? There's apparently no evening service due to anti-social behaviour.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Very rarely travel on late night services and when I do they tend to be not that bad at all, but I believe the Robin Hood(ie) line (Nottingham-Mansfield-Worksop) is quite bad and evening Wigan-Kirkby services were scrapped in the 1980s owing to trouble.

 

[Parallel]

There are dry trains on some of Arriva's Valley lines north of Pontypridd.

The last Saturday evening train from Weymouth to Bristol is a dry train and passengers are not even permitted to carry sealed alcohol on board IIRC.

I've read on here before that Cosham is omitted in the evening from Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Not sure if this is due to anti-social behaviour though.

The last train of the night from Bristol to Frome on a Saturday is an experience. It has two guards (that don't usually leave the back cab other than to do the doors at Avoncliff) and regular patrols by the BTP. Usually runs as 4 coaches and every time I've been on it, it's been full of groups of drunk people returning from nights out in Bristol and Bath to towns in Somerset and Wiltshire. People running up and down the carriage screaming, jumping over seats, arguing... My friend a few years ago said she even saw someone smoking in the carriage once!

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Fare Dodging is common at Meadowhall.
Tickets are never ever checked between Sheffield and Meadowhall and many get free travel.

 

[Alteran Ancient]

Bickley was the most vandalised station in the UK a couple of years ago. I don't know if this has changed since then.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Wigan-Kirkby? There's apparently no evening service due to anti-social behaviour.

There's been no evening service for years (1990s at least), and so far as I can tell it's got no evening service because it's not worth paying for a third shift, not for any other reason.

Neil

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Picc-Hadfield always has been our worse route at my depot and probably always will be

 

[NSE]

All c2c routes can be pretty tasty at any time of day. I've not seen anything crazy bad, but I've heard tales and seen some questionable behavior. I've also seen groups coming out of clubs in Southend and head into Central station all nice and rowdy.

 

[plastictaffy]

Any evening LM service from Brum to Liverpool must be a contender. I daresay sd0733 may well enlighten us, as he signs it!!!!

 

[Ash Bridge]

Any evening LM service from Brum to Liverpool must be a contender. I daresay sd0733 may well enlighten us, as he signs it!!!!

Think he already did on post#3

 

[samj]

Blackpool on a Saturday during stag/hen season and summer?

 

[plastictaffy]

Think he already did on post#3

Ah yes.

 

[me123]

Some of the East Coast services from Aberdeen were horrendous. Filled with people off the rigs who hadn't seen drink in weeks. I think at least one of them is now a "dry train".

Yes. And I think the dry train leaves at half 9 in the morning! (Before you can even buy alcohol in Scotland!). The North east services, which I suspect are in no small part propped up by the oil industry, are also often made unpleasant by the behaviour of some offshore workers. I can say as a previous regular North Clyde user that the ABZ runs are worse although it could be that the journey time and lack of stops are at least part of the reason, alongside the readily available alcohol from the café bar and trolley.

 

[umontu]

Blackpool on a Saturday during stag/hen season and summer?

Some of them can be pretty nasty. Oddly the South Fylde trains seem to attract the worse ones. I wonder if it's because of the Pleasure Beach station?

 

[driver_m]

Wigan-Kirkby? There's apparently no evening service due to anti-social behaviour.

No, its because the signalbox at Rainford is shut.

Its probably easier to pick a line that doesn't have a problem on a Fri/sat night. I'd guess most services can have a problem. Drinking, football games, hen/stag dos.

 

[tsr]

Trains that call at all stops Crawley-Horsham are somewhat notorious amongst some Southern conductors, but if you treat people appropriately you'll find that it's not appalling at most times of day. Even trains on Thursday and Friday evenings heading into Crawley, Croydon and London are able to be handled by one guard and no BTP on most occasions. Likewise Edenbridge-Tonbridge is thought of as not terribly brilliant, but because season-ticket holders who do pay up and behave themselves create a fair bit of revenue for conductors, it's mostly glossed over.

 

[cuccir]

Trains to coastal towns on Summer Saturdays can be bad - those Blackpool ones must be up there. I don't want to bad mouth the place, but Darlington - Middleborough trains are often pretty rough, bad for littering. But I do wonder if people are responding to the quality of the trains as much as anything else...

 

[Rapidash]

Any North - Westcountry service in the tourist season I can only assume we get the ones Blackpool have rejected. Being cooped up on a Voyager for 5 hours seems to really bring out the worst in people.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Aylesham to Canterbury East during the school run...and back... council yobbo kids

 

[jamesst]

Any train to Ellesmere Port any time of the day!
Any train to New Brighton or West Kirby on a hot day!

 

[JB_B]

Over the last couple of decades reported crime and, especially, most forms of violent crime have been in decline in the UK (not just according to police stats but also according to the former British Crime Survey - latterly Crime Statistics England and Wales and Crime and Justice Survey Scotland).

Over the last decade surveys of the public perception of crime have begun to reflect these reductions (possibly despite the best efforts of certain sections of the gutter press).

I can't think of any particular reason why this wouldn't have been reflected on the railways - although I could be wrong.

Can anyone name a line where (from personal experience rather than hearsay) they feel that crime and antisocial behaviour has increased over the last decade?

 

[dcsprior]

None of the services I've ever travelled on are consistenly bad for anti-social behaviour. Certainly I've found quite a few bus routes around London, and some night buses elsewhere, to be worse. However the worst individual instance of anti-social behaviour on a train was when I was travelling from Edinburgh-Gleneagles:

The guard stopped the train I was on at Edinburgh Park due to the behaviour by some on board. Scotrail laid on taxis to get us to our destination: as the first to arrive at the Gleneagles-bound one I sat in the front, a female passenger arrived soon after and sat in the back - when the trouble-makers then turned up at our taxi, she looked uncomfortable so I swapped seats with her. I should perhaps have said something, but I was doing what I thought would cause the least grief overall.

When we dropped the troublemakers off in Stirling, one of them decided to punch me in the face without provocation on his way out of the taxi . The taxi driver and other passenger offered to divert via the local police-station, but by then I was already going to be almost an hour late for an engagement, and just wanted to get there.

 

[Chew Chew]

I've just seen a video of a guy having a 5 knuckle shuffle on a train at Blackfriars so I'd say that was pretty anti social.

 

[driver_m]

I've just seen a video of a guy having a 5 knuckle shuffle on a train at Blackfriars so I'd say that was pretty anti social.

I think we've seen the next wealdstone raider with that one! Its all over Facebook at the moment.

 

[Soyyo]

Any train to Ellesmere Port any time of the day!

Seconded.

 

[racyrich]

All c2c routes can be pretty tasty at any time of day. I've not seen anything crazy bad, but I've heard tales and seen some questionable behavior. I've also seen groups coming out of clubs in Southend and head into Central station all nice and rowdy.

I commute on c2c daily. Rush hour is fine. I hate off-peak - chav-tastic. There was a period where I'd go into work at midday and I'd always see people climbing up the embankment to get onto the platform at Basildon. Late nights home from London are an education. How can the seemingly sensible, sober City workers of the morning morph into such arseholes.
Tilbury loop is obviously like Fort Apache the Bronx. Travelling ticket inspector stabbed there a few years back. Other stabbings round there too.

 

[sheff1]

If you want anti-social behaviour catch the return Hope Valley Tuesday Folk Train to Sheffield. Crowds of loud boorish Folkies inflicting their appalling 'music' on normal passengers. The best is, this behaviour is encouraged, sponsored and promoted by the train operator !

I only made the mistake once and one wild fiddler nearly had my eye out with their bow