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Most Intimidating Place To Wait For a Train

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Llandudno

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Which is the most intimidating place that you have waited for a train?

I have two examples:

Kirkby.
I alighted the Merseyrail train early evening on a dark, rainy winters night waiting for the last train to Wigan. Northern train cancelled and I waited for a rail replacement bus, the guy in the ticket office (which looked like Fort Knox) had no idea I waited about half an hour and decided to catch the Merseyrail back to Liverpool and travel via St Helens.
Lots of undesirables hanging in and around the station and platform.

Thorne North
I had been to a cricket match and a pal of mine who lives nearby dropped me off at Thorne North around 8pm. I had about 20 minutes to wait for the train. Lots of youths swearing and more on the platform, had to go for a 19 minute walk around Thorne, an eye opener, so as to only wait one minute for the train

Silverdale
This is a very long time ago when I was about 17. Three of us went camping using a very cheap tent, near the station. It rained all day and night and was blowing a gale. The tent blew over around 11pm. We were soaked so we headed to the unstaffed Silverdale Station and took shelter in the waiting area on the UP platform. At midnight all the lights on the station went out, then there was an almighty storm. Then around 0300 a train rattled through in the darkness. Spooky stuff!
 
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Ianno87

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Slade Green as light was fading one evening wasn't particularly welcoming.
 

DB

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Wakefield Kirkgate used to be pretty nasty. Somewhat improved these days.

But any unstaffed station in somewhat dodgy suburbs of any large city would probably fit the bill after dark.
 

Mcr Warrior

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South Bermondsey after a Millwall FC home game can't exactly be a barrel of laughs. :rolleyes:
 

lxfe_mxtterz

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Blackpool North, it's like waiting for a train in Pyongyang!

In all seriousness, however, from my experience, waiting for a London-bound train at Edmonton Green at night isn't all that pleasant... although the same could be said about most of the stations along that line, unfortunately!

Edit: I've also found that Aldershot can be pretty scary to wait at during the dark.
 
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rower40

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When Drumgelloch was a terminus, the last train out of an evening was due to stable there for 15-20 mins before leaving. After only a few weeks, it was agreed that the train could return empty to Airdrie, wait a few minutes there, and do a dash to Drumgelloch to pick up any passengers. Safety of staff was the quoted reason. The train might even have had 2 drivers, one at each end, so that the driver didn't have to walk along the platform.

So dangerous even the train can't wait there.
 

Llandudno

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When Drumgelloch was a terminus, the last train out of an evening was due to stable there for 15-20 mins before leaving. After only a few weeks, it was agreed that the train could return empty to Airdrie, wait a few minutes there, and do a dash to Drumgelloch to pick up any passengers. Safety of staff was the quoted reason. The train might even have had 2 drivers, one at each end, so that the driver didn't have to walk along the platform.

So dangerous the train can't even wait there.
Crikey, that doesn’t sound good.

Perhaps the thread could be opened up to include the worst station for on train staff to wait time before forming their next service?
 

yorksrob

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Silverdale
This is a very long time ago when I was about 17. Three of us went camping using a very cheap tent, near the station. It rained all day and night and was blowing a gale. The tent blew over around 11pm. We were soaked so we headed to the unstaffed Silverdale Station and took shelter in the waiting area on the UP platform. At midnight all the lights on the station went out, then there was an almighty storm. Then around 0300 a train rattled through in the darkness. Spooky stuff!

I've always found Silverdale a lovely place to wait.

Ore in Sussex looks a bit ropey, with the severe looking pallisade fencing all around it.
 

jamesst

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Ellesmere Port. Ticket office only open mornings (if even then). The whole area is taken over by the local scallies of all ages from mid afternoon onwards. Horrible horrible place
 

Paul Jones 88

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Years ago I waited for a train at the now closed Angle Road station in Edmonton, there were a group of horrible looking thugs on the bench smoking weed while swearing loudly, one of them was showing off a big knife to the others, I was so glad when they train arrived, shame a fortuitous gale didn't blow them under it.
 

EssexGonzo

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South Ockenden’s not one I’d recommend, or not 20 years ago, anyway. The local yoof using the platform as their social and trading centre, rocks thrown at the train, windows gouged on the outside whilst the train was standing. Not sure what it’s like now.
 

norbitonflyer

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I recall that in "All the stations", Geoff had to abandon filming at Sudbury & Harrow Road (I think) because he felt so uneasy.
 

nlogax

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South Bermondsey after a Millwall FC home game can't exactly be a barrel of laughs. :rolleyes:

Can confirm I have done this as an away supporter. Thousands of Millwall fans aiming to break through the cordon of mounted police to get to us before our train arrived back to LB was a bit much for my liking. Still raises the heart rate just thinking about it.
 

NorthWestRover

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Earlestown on the Eastern Curve platforms can be unnerving in the dark. I'm sure the others are not much better, but they are less isolated.
 

d9009alycidon

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True Story: Stepps station, a dark December Night in the early 1990s, waiting alone on the platform for the Glasgow train to meet my mates for a Xmas night out. On a scale of 1-10 for wildness I would class Stepps as only around a 7 but that night, down the ramp came two figures, walking straight towards me. Fear grew, thugs, muggers? WORSE!!! The were Mormons who after asking "How Frequently does this rapid transit system run" launched into their evangelical spiel. I was never so glad to see a class 156 in all my life!
 

SteveM70

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Moston. Horrible station with primitive facilities, in a not great part of Manchester and with plenty of ne’er do wells in the vicinity, and also in a cutting to add an element of claustrophobia

Only used it once thankfully, after going to football at FCUM
 

prod_pep

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Ellesmere Port is a desperately grim station. Every time I've been there, day or night, there have been scallies hanging around making their presence felt. The Hooton - Ellesmere Port section is easily the most intimidating part of the whole Merseyrail network. Birkenhead North is another scally-infested dump of a night. These stations are a whole lot worse than Sandhills or Kirkby in my experience and I've used all on countless occasions.

Elsewhere, there are any number of Southeastern stations which fit the bill. Slade Green is a good example: a run-down, decaying area and no shortage of ne'er-do-wells around the station. The Woolwich route really is depressingly bleak.

The only Scottish station I've ever found intimidating (and only slightly) was Shieldmuir. It seems to be another that attracts pond-life after dark.
 

Ostrich

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Kings Norton. A few less-than-reputable looking characters hanging around, coupled with that long, dark walkway up from the Birmingham-bound platform of an evening always made me relieved to reach the Pershore Road exit.
But the Birmingham city centre early Saturday evenings, especially around The Square Peg on Corporation Street where I regularly had to catch a bus, was far more intimidating, and on a couple of occasions physically so ....
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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Possilpark & Parkhouse is somewhere I've waited at around midnight for the last Glasgow Queen Street train, and it doesn't feel particularly safe.
 

Gathursty

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I've felt uneasy at the following due to scallies and drunks: Stevenston, Kirkby, Ellesmere Port, Northfleet, Kenton and Farncombe or Godalming (not sure which one it was)
 

DustyBin

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Ellesmere Port is a desperately grim station. Every time I've been there, day or night, there have been scallies hanging around making their presence felt. The Hooton - Ellesmere Port section is easily the most intimidating part of the whole Merseyrail network. Birkenhead North is another scally-infested dump of a night. These stations are a whole lot worse than Sandhills or Kirkby in my experience and I've used all on countless occasions.

Elsewhere, there are any number of Southeastern stations which fit the bill. Slade Green is a good example: a run-down, decaying area and no shortage of ne'er-do-wells around the station. The Woolwich route really is depressingly bleak.

The only Scottish station I've ever found intimidating (and only slightly) was Shieldmuir. It seems to be another that attracts pond-life after dark.

I was going to mention Shieldmuir, although it’s no longer the place it once was, probably as a result of CCTV and redevelopment of the area around the station. A year or so ago I was waiting for a late evening train at Carntyne and a large group of graffiti artists descended on the station. Whilst they weren’t intimidating per say I didn’t think it wise to tell them to stop what they were doing....

There are a few less than inviting stations on the Tyne & Wear Metro but Felling is probably the worst. The long, narrow concrete foot bridges and exposed island platform aren’t exactly welcoming, but it is also an actual crime hotspot so it’s not just a case of perception.

In the London area there are quite a few stations that could be described as intimidating, particularly after dark, but I tend to keep my wits about me when I’m in London in general so not many really stand out. Crofton Park attracts a lot of undesirables, it’s not uncommon to see groups with their faces covered (and I don’t mean to comply with covid regulations!) and I’ve seen a few people sticking needles in their arms on the platforms. I’ve often wondered what Queenstown Road would be like after dark purely because it has that semi derelict feel to it, I’ve no idea if it’s actually dangerous though. Loughborough Junction is another one. Whilst not intimidating by any means, East Dulwich always sticks in my mind as many years ago (I was 16 at the time) I had a half hour wait there and within a matter of minutes of me leaving there was a violent murder on the platform!
 

Tracked

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Thorne South - not keen on North either @Llandudno , but on the odd occasion I've used it I've always felt South worse, two platforms with a single shelter on the edge of a housing estate that doesn't look particularly welcoming.

Bidston - Changed trains on a rover about 6 years ago, tiny little interchange that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. Spent about 15-20 minutes there and was on my own on the platform for a couple of them after the train I was on left.

Goole - Changed here once early 2014 to get the train through Snaith & Rawcliffe, got there about 10 minutes before it was due to leave (shortly after 19:30), which was 10 minutes enough.

Marsden - Went on a sunny September Saturday, mid afternoon, and had a walk up to the tunnels and back through the town. Would've called in a pub but they all looked full (it's one of the places on the ale trail), with a few people staggering between them. Went back to the station, all quiet until about 5 minutes before the train arrived, when a crowd of people staggered noisily onto the platform from the pub(s).
 

Bletchleyite

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Altnabreac (and yes, I have), not because of scallies/chavs/any people whatsoever, but because if it all goes wrong you're very much on your own, 10+ miles from civilisation. I guess a few of the WHL stations are the same, e.g. Corrour.
 

Timmyd

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Surprised no one has mentioned Essex Road yet. Properly spooky, and very few people around most of the time.
 

lkpridgeon

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The public side of the barriers at Birmingham New Street during the evening (especially during lockdown). I daren't stay there more than 10/15 minutes and actually feel safer walking around the streets outside the station. It seems to be a magnet for beggers and undesirables (some with rather threatening behaviour).
 

Chriso

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The public side of the barriers at Birmingham New Street during the evening (especially during lockdown). I daren't stay there more than 10/15 minutes and actually feel safer walking around the streets outside the station. It seems to be a magnet for beggers and undesirables (some with rather threatening behaviour).

I have to agree I was in Birmingham a few weeks ago and found the city centre to be very sketchy early evening
 
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