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Ever had a carriage/whole train to yourself?

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Gathursty

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I had the Helsby - Ellesmere Port train to myself yesterday which was quite unusual considering local members have said many trains get single digits. (I'll assume they refer to Mon-Fri trains)

If you have had the carriage/whole train to yourself, for how long have you had the pleasure: one station, two stations, more...?
 
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causton

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Some contra-peak workings are good for this.

For example I take the 1547 Milton Keynes - Euston which is a 12 car 350 and frequently has just me in the rear 4 cars until about Hemel Hempstead or Berkhamsted!
 

Domh245

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I remember having a car of D stock to myself early on a Sunday Morning from Fulham Broadway to Wimbledon
 

DaleCooper

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Not as impressive as yours but back in the 90s on a HST out of Kings Cross it was so quiet that my colleague and I were invited to sit in first class and received complimentary tea and coffee.

Slightly off topic but again in the 90s on a Virgin jumbo (economy class or whatever it was called) from Tokyo to Heathrow I couldn't see any other passengers from my seat.
 

Spekejunction

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About 1995 turned up at Stansted Airport for flight to Rouen (Air UK)
Flight called and I was lead out to plane ,captain greeted me and told me I was their only passenger that morning.. Had to pay for a coffee..
 

me123

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I had a Pendolino to myself from Glasgow to Carlisle once and got a complimentary upgrade (seat only) to FC.

It was an early morning Saturday train run during some engineering work between Carlisle and Lancaster. The train in question was an "extra" during the disruption that weekend, presumably as a positioning move of some sort that they decided to run in service.
 

fishquinn

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I've had a 156 to myself on two occasions. One was from Helsby to Runcorn East (on an ex Ellesmere Port), the other from Liverpool Lime Street to Liverpool South Parkway (on an ex Blackpool North).
 

furnessvale

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Travelled with my brother from Dieppe to Newhaven some years ago.

At Newhaven we were the only passengers on the boat train.

I believe neither train nor boat now runs. I wonder why? :D
 

AndrewR232

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I remember taking the 1710 Cumbernauld to Motherwell service one Saturday a few years back when 158s were the norm on this route. There were never more than three people on the train, including the driver and guard.
 

me123

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I remember taking the 1710 Cumbernauld to Motherwell service one Saturday a few years back when 158s were the norm on this route. There were never more than three people on the train, including the driver and guard.

I just remembered Motherwell to Cumbernauld - was often a good chance of being the only passenger on that train. Done it many a time. Busiest I've seen it was about 20 people in "rush" hour. Don't know if it's still the same now it's gone over to EMUs and continues all the way round to South Lanarkshire.
 

D6975

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A couple of years ago, on an 8 car 377 from Horsham to Clapham Jn I had a coach to myself for the entire journey. It was a contra peak flow journey as mentioned earlier, 19 : xx IIRC.
 

AndrewR232

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I just remembered Motherwell to Cumbernauld - was often a good chance of being the only passenger on that train. Done it many a time. Busiest I've seen it was about 20 people in "rush" hour. Don't know if it's still the same now it's gone over to EMUs and continues all the way round to South Lanarkshire.

In my experience, between CUB and MTH the trains are still largely empty.
 

me123

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The bizarre thing is - they are by far the fastest way to make journeys between the three towns of Motherwell, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Had a rail replacement bus all to myself from Ormskirk to Preston, this was due to the RRB running hourly rather than leaving at the same times as the train normally would. As a result nobody but me turned up for this particular service.
 

Liam

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The old Markinch-Kirkcaldy-Edinburgh all stops service, I was the only one who boarded at Markinch, then we were diverted at the last minute via Cowdenbeath, non-stop to Inverkeithing. Sat and had a chat with the guard.
 

DaveNewcastle

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Try VTEC's once per day service to / from Sunderland on its journey between Newcastle and Sunderland (in either direction). Quite likely that the number of passengers is lower than the number of crew. Even more likely that the number of passengers is lower than the number of coaches.
 

Ianno87

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I once had a Northern Line train to myself for its entire journey*

*That journey being Finchley Central to Mill Hill East

I've also been the sole passenger from Kensington Olympia to Wandsworth Rd.
 

SS4

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I had an entire carriage (and I believe the entirety of first class) to myself once a couple of years ago on the 0603 ex EUS until Rugby
 
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deltic

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Many years ago in the days of overnight trains had the Manchester Pic - Cleethorpes newspaper train to myself most of the way and the Shrewsbury-Swansea mail train - left about 03.45 - to myself to as far as about Llandovery
 

181

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I once had a Northern Line train to myself for its entire journey*

*That journey being Finchley Central to Mill Hill East

What time of day was that? I once had a carriage to myself, and a train with only one other passenger, for an entire journey on the Undeground in the rush hour.

(From Holborn to Aldwych in the evening peak).

Having a whole train to myself has happened a few times, although not on the Underground.
 

alxndr

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Had a carriage to myself from Lowestoft - Halesworth late one evening once, at a guess there were probably three in total.

Confused the guard as they only poked his head into the front carriage, didn't see anyone (I'm on the short side) and as no one else got in that carriage at any other station, never came back through. Looked like he'd seen a ghost when he spotted me as I alighted.
 

CC 72100

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Had a complete train (3 car) to myself once during a complete journey on a Westbury - Warminster service.

Nobody else on the train from westbury, and then nobody alighted at Dilton Marsh either.
 

pemma

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When the old St-Annes-on-Sea to Greenbank service ran as a 4 car Sprinter one Summer I was doing a training course during normal college holidays and without the normal college traffic it wasn't uncommon for there to be 4 or less passengers between the final two stations.
 

rishton82

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Not that I use regular but I have had the rail replacement bus to myself from Blackburn to Rishton on a Saturday night.
 

[.n]

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Pretty much every day my carriage is empty for the last part of the journey.

I used to take the first train from Portsmouth to London for a number of years - my compartment was quite often empty for a long time.

The best one was when somehow I managed to get a train from either Manchester or Reading, with a XC crew who where determined to get back to Bournemouth (lines and stations were closed for some reason I can't remember [storm?] and to the best of my knowledge basically hijacked a train to go home and luckily for me I managed to tag along. It still took me me several hours after getting to Bournemouth to get home though :(
 

Iskra

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I've been one of two in 1st from Newcastle-Northalleton and then the only one in 1st after Northallerton, then the only one on the train after York on the 2246 VTEC off Newcastle. It does York-Leeds a very strange and long route sometimes via Castleford that takes 40 minutes...
 

Crossover

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I believe I was the only one on a Carstairs to Motherwell service a couple of years ago and was one of two on a Newcraighall to Haymarket on departure from Waverley
 

Tom B

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A few years ago on an Aberdeen-Edinburgh HST, a late evening service which only goes so far as Edinburgh, had a coach to myself in first class (very cheap apex ticket) for the entire journey!

Also often the only passenger in the car on the tube when catching the first train on a Sunday.
 

168lover

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I once had a 2 coach 165 to my self when it was working a once a day Aylesbury to Wycombe terminator, needless to say that service got scrapped soon after
 

Class172

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I've had a whole carriage to myself on a few occasions, mostly on the contra-peak Snow Hill workings (generally only between Droitwich and Kidderminster though).

The one time I can certainly recall having the whole train to myself would be on a Class 323 a few years ago between B'ham International and Coventry on a service around 1030pm.
 
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