Staying overnight on Station

[londonmidland]

Where do you think the best and worst places to stay overnight on a station?

Best: Nuneaton - Apparently, you get a fair amount of freight through there overnight and it's safe

Worst: Willesden Junction although good for freight, any station along the Wimbledon Chase line, most stations in Greater London.

Where do you think the best and worst stations are to stay overnight?

Thanks
londonmidland

 

[Crossover]

Best - Anything thats relatively large and mainline so likely to be more safe. Personally, movements happening overnight would keep things interesting as well.

Worst - Probably the old faithful Wakefield Kirkgate! I personally probably wouldn't want to spend a night in New St either

 

[MidnightFlyer]

You should be fine on any station out in the middle of nowhere overnight. The worst would be in cities, towns and suburban areas. You will also be OK on larger airport stations such as Gatwick and Stansted...

 

[dk1]

Best - Anything thats relatively large and mainline so likely to be more safe. Personally, movements happening overnight would keep things interesting as well.

Worst - Probably the old faithful Wakefield Kirkgate! I personally probably wouldn't want to spend a night in New St either

Crewe Arms Hotel. Best of both worlds. get a rail view room then you can choose between spotting trains or spotting sheep Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[455refurb]

Would it actually be allowed to stay on a station overnight? I'm sure there's something in the byelaws about not being on railway business. Remote CCTV operators may spoil the fun!

Hypothetically speaking - Clapham Junction would be good. The Sutton-Epsom Downs branch would be rather dull!

 

[142094]

Someone will confirm but apparently you can now go on Carlisle station overnight again - a few years back a ned sent a letter to Virgin complaining about the lack of facilities at 3 in the monring and the station manager refused to allow access for a time.

 

[causton]

Brookmans Park - watch the animals from the fields nearby, wander up to the curry house before it closes, set up your sleeping bag on the benches, and look at the nighttime of the ECML! (Although I hope the "Please stand well clear of the edge of... Platform 2" doesn't play all night long!)

 

[185]

Manchester Piccadilly gets a lot of folk stopping over, for those with a bit of cash there is a £30-35 (or less) budget hotel next door, but worst comes to the worst if you're stuck on the station, it's heated, well patrolled, covered with CCTV and plenty of staff about at 3am.

The worst by far has to be York. Dark, cold, vagrants and drunks everywhere. The security guard tries his best, however with it being poorly lit, with obstacles and pillars everywhere theres lots of dark dodgy corners.

 

[DarloRich]

none - go home! it is dark and the buffet is closed!

I have slept at newcastle station having consumed a fair few "adult refreshments". The styaff unlocked the wating room and let me kip in there. The floor was clean and quite warm! Didnt wake up till nearly 730 am!

 

[PR1Berske]

I did the Manchester Piccadilly stop over on Saturday after missing the last train home. If you're into social commentary and/or studying Social Sciences, it's great for people watching. The kinds of people - of all ages - who come in half-cut after the clubs are closed is quite the eye opener.....


A few years ago I was camping with friends on Eigg when I had to leave (my gran had fallen seriously ill). Being so short notice, I knew the ferry/train combination home would leave me little chance of getting back on the same day, but I gave it my best shot.

The station manger/whoever it was at Carlisle was superb, allowing me to sleep in the waiting room (in my sleeping bag !) and I had a great breakfast at 6 in the morning of vending machine crisps Never forgotten how nice it was of him to let me "stay over".
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Someone will confirm but apparently you can now go on Carlisle station overnight again - a few years back a ned sent a letter to Virgin complaining about the lack of facilities at 3 in the monring and the station manager refused to allow access for a time.

I hadn't read this post before typing! He certainly did (or someone on his behalf did) 3 years ago

 

[Mike395]

St Pancras is quite an interesting place to be stuck overnight - no stock movements really aside from the overnight FCC services, but there's a 24 hour Starbucks to keep you company, and it is quite common to find travellers sleeping on the concourse in readiness for the first Eurostar the following morning.

 

[The Snap]

I did the Manchester Piccadilly stop over on Saturday after missing the last train home. If you're into social commentary and/or studying Social Sciences, it's great for people watching. The kinds of people - of all ages - who come in half-cut after the clubs are closed is quite the eye opener.....

I've always wondered if Piccadilly is open 24 hours...is it??

 

[anthony263]

I have stayed overnight at Cardiff Central (During february so the weather wasnt too great) after i had arrived at 02:15 on the last train from London Paddington and had to wait til 05:40 which was the 1st train to Bridgend. Plenty of staff wandering about and the station was reasonably quiet. Plenty of freight & empty stock movements for me to watch.

Bristol Temple Meads on the other hand i believe closes between 01:45 & 04:15

 

[CheekyBandit]

Only really stayed overnight at Leeds - late Saturday night. Technically I could include Oban as I managed to use the toilets at about 3am (was actually legally entitled to do so though I didn't know it at the time). I was taking a break during a long road trip, waiting for the morning ferry and wanted the nearest public toilets.

 

[PR1Berske]

I've always wondered if Piccadilly is open 24 hours...is it??

Yes.

I missed the last train back to Preston, so one jaunt to a takeaway later, I was in the main foyer bit for about 3 to 4 hours, going in and out of a disturbed sleep, heh.

It is 24 hours, there's cleaners, security and police all over the place, and of course there's drunks coming in and out of the station too

The shops aren't open, mind.

 

[Flamingo]

I have stayed overnight at Cardiff Central (During february so the weather wasnt too great) after i had arrived at 02:15 on the last train from London Paddington and had to wait til 05:40 which was the 1st train to Bridgend. Plenty of staff wandering about and the station was reasonably quiet. Plenty of freight & empty stock movements for me to watch.

Bristol Temple Meads on the other hand i believe closes between 01:45 & 04:15

Cardiff officially closes for a couple of hours as well, but depending on who is on duty and the general appearance / sobriety of the passenger the platform staff will stretch a point.

 

[EM2]

St Pancras is quite an interesting place to be stuck overnight - no stock movements really aside from the overnight FCC services, but there's a 24 hour Starbucks to keep you company, and it is quite common to find travellers sleeping on the concourse in readiness for the first Eurostar the following morning.

Saturday nights are always 'fun'. EMT stop at 22:25 and FCC at 01:32. The amount of people that don't check and miss the last one is astounding, and the staff often have the devil's own job of making sure that the ones that stay around, stay in the areas they're supposed to!

 

[deltic]

I have stayed overnight at Cardiff Central (During february so the weather wasnt too great) after i had arrived at 02:15 on the last train from London Paddington and had to wait til 05:40 which was the 1st train to Bridgend. Plenty of staff wandering about and the station was reasonably quiet. Plenty of freight & empty stock movements for me to watch.

Bristol Temple Meads on the other hand i believe closes between 01:45 & 04:15

I remember in the 1980s spending a happy night on Cardiff station - huge amount of freight movements, the newspaper and mail trains going through and a surprisingly busy Fishquard - Paddington boat train.

The London terminals were also interesting at night again with newspaper and mail trains - Paddington, St Pancras, London Bridge, Liverpool St, Victoria, Waterloo, Euston and Kings Cross were all great.

Most London stations remain open 24hrs a day for maintenance work etc but not much train movements. Often will only open for passengers shortly before train due but not unusuall to see people sleeping overnight at many of them.

 

[Lampshade]

I nearly had to stay overnight at Stockport once, I'm not too keen on the place during the daytime hock:

 

[Temple Meads]

Best: Westbury, though I doubt it's open.
Worst: New Street, just urrrh

 

[anthony263]

Best: Westbury, though I doubt it's open.
Worst: New Street, just urrrh

Westbury seemed to be open when i passed through there at about 03:00 on the sleeper, well there was a few members of staff on the platform

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Can I intrude upon this "overnight reminiscences" jamboree to ask how the diferent TOC's make their security rulings on such matters.

Are guidelines of any type issued and are there supposed to be publically displayed notices concerning such instancies?

 

[Gathursty]

Is staying over night in a station actually permitted or does it vary from place to place?

Furthermore, is Wick station a good place to hunker down for the night?

 

[anthony263]

Its does seem to depend on the members of staff on duty

 

[londonmidland]

For anyone who has stayed overnight at Leeds or Manchester Piccadily, do the announcements stay on all night?
E.g:
"24 hour CCTV recording is in operation at this station for the purpose of security and safety management"
"Security personel tour this station 24 hours a day"
"It is not permitted to cycle, skateboard or rollerblade within the station building"
Etc...

 

[Smethwickian]

...... and are there supposed to be publically displayed notices concerning such instancies?

As railway stations are private property, surely no-one is generally obliged to advertise "opening hours" for the building as a whole? Outside the hours when passengers might reasonably be expected to be catching imminent trains, owners/operators can simply close the property to the public at any time for any reason, be it security, maintenance, cleaning or the fact that, errr, there aren't any trains for several hours and no-one has any reasonable business being there.

 

[jaigee]

Best: Nuneaton - Apparently, you get a fair amount of freight through there overnight and it's safe

Nuneaton is closed and locked after the last train, usually the 23:10 to Birmingham (or the 23:03 to Manchester if it is running late).

Recently a colleague came off the slightly late 23:03 and wandered down P1 to pick-up his bicycle. By the time he got to the exit all was locked up and deserted!

Foolishly, he crossed all the running lines, complete with bike, and climbed over the railings adjacent to the Leicester line. hock:

 

[Squaddie]

I recently spent a night on Nizamuddin station in New Delhi - my flight had arrived just after midnight and I was booked on a 5am train to Agra (tickets booked on the internet and printed at home - something that many UK TOCs still haven't got the hang of). It was warm, and the station was very busy all night, but there were rats the size of cats running everywhere so I didn't dare doze off.

 

[Greenback]

I have stayed overnight at Cardiff Central (During february so the weather wasnt too great) after i had arrived at 02:15 on the last train from London Paddington and had to wait til 05:40 which was the 1st train to Bridgend. Plenty of staff wandering about and the station was reasonably quiet. Plenty of freight & empty stock movements for me to watch.

Bristol Temple Meads on the other hand i believe closes between 01:45 & 04:15

In 2000 I spent several miserable hours at bristol temple Meads between 0200 and the first train. It was certainly open then, there were quite a few people int he waiting room, but it is not an experience I plan, or wish, to repeat!

As railway stations are private property, surely no-one is generally obliged to advertise "opening hours" for the building as a whole? Outside the hours when passengers might reasonably be expected to be catching imminent trains, owners/operators can simply close the property to the public at any time for any reason, be it security, maintenance, cleaning or the fact that, errr, there aren't any trains for several hours and no-one has any reasonable business being there.

Yes, the stations can be closed, but that would need someone to do it! I don;t think it's worthwhile to send someone to close a station like Llanelli when there are trains at around 0100, 0300 and then 0523! It would pretty ironic if there was someone on the station at night, when there are no staff anywhere during the afternoon!

 

[anthony263]

In 2000 I spent several miserable hours at bristol temple Meads between 0200 and the first train. It was certainly open then, there were quite a few people int he waiting room, but it is not an experience I plan, or wish, to repeat!



Yes, the stations can be closed, but that would need someone to do it! I don;t think it's worthwhile to send someone to close a station like Llanelli when there are trains at around 0100, 0300 and then 0523! It would pretty ironic if there was someone on the station at night, when there are no staff anywhere during the afternoon!

You forgot the train at 04:53