European Train Stations you have felt most uneasy visiting

[alex397]

Probably organised pickpocketing - someone distracts you or harasses you and another takes your things. This is rife in Paris and Barcelona, and probably some other spots in Western Europe.

This is what I suspect. Certainly not something I’ve ever seen in the UK in stations. Probably due to our common use of barriers at busy stations.

*Ahem* Euston. Full of drunks and bums at all times of day and I've seen ASB there as well. I've been approached several times by beggars when going to Cafe Nero, taking cash out, and crossing to the M&S. Euston is my least favourite station in London and possibly the whole UK for its sliminess and general dirtiness outside the station.

Fair enough, I hadn’t really noticed that before. But only because if ever I’ve used that station, I’ve tried to spend as little time as possible there. ASB aside, it’s a horribly busy claustrophobic station.
I’ve rarely used the station because of this - I’ve even planned my UK holidays around NOT using any train from Euston. One of the reasons I haven’t visited Manchester yet!

 

[Bletchleyite]

*Ahem* Euston. Full of drunks and bums at all times of day and I've seen ASB there as well. I've been approached several times by beggars when going to Cafe Nero, taking cash out, and crossing to the M&S. Euston is my least favourite station in London and possibly the whole UK for its sliminess and general dirtiness outside the station.

There are many things wrong with Euston but I have never found a major problem aside from a few drunks hanging round outside who I don't recall ever having approached me. Charing Cross is the London station which in my experience is worst for this, the toilets feel unsafe.

 

[NLondonlurker]

Agree with Bruxelles Midi, and the extensive roadworks in area made it feel even more claustrophobic with less escape routes. Gare du Nord - the main entrance feels as hostile as ever, though when we were changing to Eurostar there this year found the next entrance along was much better (in daylight at least). Many of the RER stations, even those in central Paris feel so unwelcoming and threatening - the lighting is extremely poor, the signage isn't great and you get the feeling you're being watched by unscrupulous characters.

Zurich - the station itself felt fine but for such a seemingly wealthy place there was a surprising amount of down and outs/homeless by the riverbank just across from station.

One thing I think we've generally done well in UK is station rebuilds/regeneration in surrounding areas (possibly assisted by gentrification as others allude to) - struggling to think of large terminus stations that feel particularly unwelcome - though plenty of smaller stations in inner city areas that are unpleasant.

 

[Bengt Larsson]

A rail/tram stop I was not comfortable visiting is not located in Europe, but in America.
I visited some years ago Phoenix, Arizona for business.
The flight to London (and on) went on Sunday evening so I had some hours off in this city where car is the method of transportation.
But they have a tram line.
I took the tram to midtown Phoenix, called Van Buren Street.
Absolutely nothing was open on a Sunday afternoon.
People were dressed trashy and no one looked like heading anywhere.
I got the feeling of a "bad neighbourhood" and took the first tram back to the car parking, after around 15 minutes.
There were several office skyscrapers. Why do they build office skyscrapers in a city where most people travel by car? Where do people park car for work?
A city of 4 million people with two tram lines with 36,000 daily riders.

 

[The exile]

Probably organised pickpocketing - someone distracts you or harasses you and another takes your things. This is rife in Paris and Barcelona, and probably some other spots in Western Europe.

Probably - although Goerlitzer Bahnhof is hardly awash with naive tourists (aka easy prey!)

 

[Djgr]

Marseille Saint-Charles, particularly just outside. I didn't feel safe in the daytime let alone at night

Marseille is not for the faint hearted, is it?!!

 

[deltic]

A rail/tram stop I was not comfortable visiting is not located in Europe, but in America.
I visited some years ago Phoenix, Arizona for business.
The flight to London (and on) went on Sunday evening so I had some hours off in this city where car is the method of transportation.
But they have a tram line.
I took the tram to midtown Phoenix, called Van Buren Street.
Absolutely nothing was open on a Sunday afternoon.
People were dressed trashy and no one looked like heading anywhere.
I got the feeling of a "bad neighbourhood" and took the first tram back to the car parking, after around 15 minutes.
There were several office skyscrapers. Why do they build office skyscrapers in a city where most people travel by car? Where do people park car for work?
A city of 4 million people with two tram lines with 36,000 daily riders.

I've used the Washington tram a few times and once rode it to the end of the line and the conductoress (even through the service was free) was rather concerned for my safety when she noted I was going to the last stop although I never felt unsafe.

 

[Whisky Papa]

In 2018 we were staying with our son and his wife in northern Chicago, and had a day to occupy on our own due to their work commitments. I fancied the Museum of Science Industry which is on the lakeshore south of the city, and I duly plotted a route using the L Brown and Red lines to Garfield, then changing on to a 55 bus that headed east to terminate right in front of the MS&I. I ran this past our native Chicagoan d-i-l and she reacted with horror - it was completely inadvisable on personal safety grounds, apparently even mid-morning . She pointed out the seasonal express 10 bus to the MS&I from the city centre, which isn't marked on the main Chicago Transit Authority map but is in a section of special services further down the page.

 

[Beebman]

I've used the Washington tram a few times and once rode it to the end of the line and the conductoress (even through the service was free) was rather concerned for my safety when she noted I was going to the last stop although I never felt unsafe.

I rode the line last June while I was in DC and the two people in the seat in front of me were talking openly about drug taking which made me feel very uneasy, however the biggest problem turned out to be badly parked cars which meant my roundtrip took over twice as long as it should have.

 

[Wolfie]

I rode the line last June while I was in DC and the two people in the seat in front of me were talking openly about drug taking which made me feel very uneasy, however the biggest problem turned out to be badly parked cars which meant my roundtrip took over twice as long as it should have.

I've been on trains in the UK where characters have been going on about how much Charlie they did/have got.....

 

[Segedunum]

I've used the Washington tram a few times and once rode it to the end of the line and the conductoress (even through the service was free) was rather concerned for my safety when she noted I was going to the last stop although I never felt unsafe.

I actually made my way all the way from Union station to the Union tram stop last year and decided to turn around and not bother on seeing that the street was deserted save for a few odd characters on the tram platform.

Downtown Miami was quite similar - the free train that loops around felt quite safe and well monitored, but the actual Downtown was deserted to the point of feeling rather intimidating.

 

[W-on-Sea]

The Silverlink-era North London line ("the free train", as Zadie Smith calls it in "White Teeth") used to have some shady and sometimes threatening characters aboard. Station-wise, though, I think the more menacing ones (being badly lit and more isolated. and with a more infrequent service, less well-used than now) were generally to be found on the GOBLIN though.

 

[gazthomas]

While not uniquely railway station related I didn't feel at all safe anywhere on or around the Chicago L metro network. I even had a spaced out fellow fall on me and proceed to dribble all over my leg

 

[NCT]

I must say I find the surroundings of Paris Nord and Paris Est to be much improved over the last couple of years.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Klodzko in the south of Poland was one of the last strongholds of steam in Europe and it was a very pleasant small town. Leaving our hotel one morning, we knew not to risk taking photographs in the station area where we might be intercepted by the people's police, so we went for a walk in a riverside park parallel to the railway heading south towards the Czech border. Hearing a steam whistle we got out our cameras for what seemed the perfect photo opportunity. As the train approached a plain-clothed gentleman pushing his daughter in a pushchair came up to us, showed what appeared to be an identity badge of the state security apparatus and instructed us to expose our films. I thought to explain that we had a lot of pictures of tourist scenes which I wanted to keep, but my friend cautioned that we should just do as we had been told.

That was forty years ago. I wonder if the over-zealous off-duty jobsworth is still with us and what he makes of liberal post-socialism in his country today. And his daughter: did she look up to her father for upholding state-security in a riverside park on that sunny morning? She'd be about fifty now. Or is she ashamed of his past behaviour? I'd like to think so!

 

[Tester]

I've been on trains in the UK where characters have been going on about how much Charlie they did/have got.....

Which would have gone straight over my head!

 

[Wolfie]

Which would have gone straight over my head!

Having lived in London since the mid-80s....

 

[Tester]

Having lived in London since the mid-80s....

As did I from the mid-50s to the early 00s....

I have clearly led a sheltered life

 

[ABB125]

Rangsdorf (just south of the Berlin Ringbahn on the line to Dresden) was really desolate and felt rather dodgy when I briefly stopped there a few years ago. Completely deserted, poorly lit, graffiti everywhere, the lift up to the platform had shattered glass...
Main reason for stopping was to kill time before catching an overnight ICE. Out and back from Berlin on loco hauled (class 112) regional stock, what's not to like?!

 

[BBF3]

Marseille is not for the faint hearted, is it?!!

Haha! Yeah, when I saw St Charles mentioned I just thought the station area is a soft warning for what's in store around the city in general.

 

[FormerBritInMe]

In 2018 we were staying with our son and his wife in northern Chicago, and had a day to occupy on our own due to their work commitments. I fancied the Museum of Science Industry which is on the lakeshore south of the city, and I duly plotted a route using the L Brown and Red lines to Garfield, then changing on to a 55 bus that headed east to terminate right in front of the MS&I. I ran this past our native Chicagoan d-i-l and she reacted with horror - it was completely inadvisable on personal safety grounds, apparently even mid-morning . She pointed out the seasonal express 10 bus to the MS&I from the city centre, which isn't marked on the main Chicago Transit Authority map but is in a section of special services further down the page.

The Metra Electric from Millenium Station to 55/56/57th street would have been a better choice. The MSI is only a block from the station. I never felt unsafe there, there were plenty of people about.

 

[canary fan]

I must say I find the surroundings of Paris Nord and Paris Est to be much improved over the last couple of years.

I agree. I think a big clean up was done in advance of the Paris olympics. Nord seems much better these days, while EST is positively pleasant. I agree with the comments on the 2 Brussels stations, I always try and change in Central if possible. Frankfurt is also very dodgy, my preference is to use the airport station when changing trains. However, I’ve use Cologne a lot and it seems fine to me as does Munich. One station which hasn’t been mentioned is Hannover, where the entire lower floor has become an underground ‘city.’

 

[MarcVD]

Regardless of security aspects, changing in Brussels Central if often the wise thing to do, specially if the connection is tight. As that station has only 6 tracks, you will never have to walk or run very far to catch your next train.

 

[Rab Smith]

I agree. I think a big clean up was done in advance of the Paris olympics. Nord seems much better these days, while EST is positively pleasant. I agree with the comments on the 2 Brussels stations, I always try and change in Central if possible. Frankfurt is also very dodgy, my preference is to use the airport station when changing trains. However, I’ve use Cologne a lot and it seems fine to me as does Munich. One station which hasn’t been mentioned is Hannover, where the entire lower floor has become an underground ‘city.’

I found Hannover not too bad. The usual people hanging around but nothing menacing. Quite a dingy area underneath but a brilliant collection of shops and eateries if you are changing trains and just want to hang around the station.

Hannover itself has a lovely City Centre if you like shopping and pavement dining!
The area I stayed in around Brussels Midi is currently in utter chaos as they build the new metro lines and I always feel that major works of this type make an area feel downtrodden, a bit like the West entrances at Euston.

In order to get to the Hotel I had to walk along the long plaza of the Esplanade de l'Europe. That is an experience that I wouldn't want to be doing again in a hurry.

 

[Whisky Papa]

The Metra Electric from Millenium Station to 55/56/57th street would have been a better choice. The MSI is only a block from the station. I never felt unsafe there, there were plenty of people about.

I did consider that option, perhaps just for the return leg. However, the convenient location of the bus stop for the service 10 to the MSI near the L Brown Line Harold Washington Library station was too tempting in 35 degree heat! Also, we had PAYG Ventra cards supplied by our son, which would not have been valid on the Metra, although I grant it would not have been a huge extra expense.

I've never felt unduly worried on my visits to Chicago, indeed the area my son has settled in feels extremely safe, probably more so than my current home town.

 

[Giugiaro]

I do feel like Frankfurt (Main) Hbf used to be WAY nicer before CoViD-19. I went there in 2019 for the Frankfurt Autoshow and the station and its surroundings were pretty nice, even at night.
In 2023 and 2024... not so much. I wasn't bothered at all by anyone, but the station's McDonald's was filled to the brim with people, as it was the only place warm and open late into the night.

In 2023 I had to change trains at Hannover between 2AM and 4AM. Up until then it was the place where I've saw the most homeless people crammed inside a railway station.
Again, both the lounge and the waiting room were closed, so only the station's MacDonald's was the only place were someone could have a place to rest, warm up and charge the phone.
When that facility closed, I took the time to walk around the vicinity, through Georgstraße and Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. There was no living soul in sight, which was both reassuring and frightening at the same time!

People don't recommend passengers to change between Paris Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est by foot. Gare du Nord is infamous for pickpocketing, and I came to talk with a Brit that had his wallet stolen right after leaving that station.
I was also pursued at least twice when changing metro lines at Gare du Nord. One of my friends got pickpocketed, but fortunately he had nothing of value where they went.
A lot of metro stations reek of urine, and it's common to see police agents escort people out of the platforms and hallways.

At Porto São Bento there used to be a lot of begging at the station's entrance. And robbery/pickpocketing is rampant. One of my aunts got her bag stolen while sitting at the station's coffee shop.
Drug dealing happens in plain sight in the vicinity. If you walk through Rua das Flores at least one man will approach you to sell you Cocaine.

Lisbon Oriente also has a long running issue with beggars and homeless people. The problem got way worse with the housing crisis. People are often bothered when eating.
Every time I go there and eat at the terrace I get approached by a beggar, sometimes twice by different people. I ended up starting eating inside because, at least up until now, they don't bother people inside.
Towards the bus terminal the underground passageway also reeks of urine.

Finally, the vast majority of stations in Portugal are just god awful. More often than not there is absolutely no staff week round. The smell of urine is found in every nook and cranny. Every weekend there also vomit in the floor. Platforms are filled with cigarette butts. Graffiti is an absolute given. Stations south of the Tagus have their equipment stolen for scrap.

 

[Freemo]

We stayed on this hotel last summer when we were changing trains in Brussels overnight. It does allow you to evade the horrors of midi/zuid to some degree. It was while we were staying there that we ventured out to some of the little pockets of old Brussels that still exist. We had to walk back because we mistakenly planned to get a train from a station that unfortunately seemed to be either completely inaccessible from the street or was disused. That's when we witnessed the streets literally full of excrement. Never again.
I'd stay in this hotel without hesitation for an overnight connection (I.e. to Munich). If you are just after a bar to kill time in, the bars outside the main entrance are also civilised enough if you run the gauntlet of passing the trash that hangs around the entrance.

I stayed here earlier this year as it gives the advantage of dropping your luggage without leaving the station building (once you find the internal entrance) and the same for entering the metro. If you look at the station complex on an aerial map of the city centre you can see it is a sort of sizeable suburb in its own right.

I took a recommendation from reception to visit La Ruche steakhouse which is a short walk from the station and whilst the meal was nice I am glad we did it in broad daylight. Then to go into the centre from there we used Lemonnier underground tram station, which I swear is the entrance to Hell itself and easily the most uncomfortable I've ever felt anywhere.

If I return to stay I will make an effort to get the metro rather than the tram back to the station, as whilst the metro station isn't salubrious it is at least directly under the station itself, whilst trams drop off at the foul undercroft in front of it.

To avoid all this I got the train back from Centraal in the evening, but we got off at the most distant end of the platform and the way back to the main station corridor was closed at night, meaning hanging around the concourse looking lost much longer than I wanted.

In the US I was in Philly when the men's national football team were playing so decided to get the SEPTA train to Chester and walk to the stadium, which was an experience.

Having a long platform wait at night at 7th Street/Metro Centre on the Los Angeles subway also had me edgy.

 

[Tracked]

Another vote for Brussels Midi, although Nord isn't that great either, it was really great to walk off Eurostar to the sights and smells around there ...

I like Belgium's railways but they had (I've not been since 2018) a really bad graffiti problem on the trains and stations, probably could add a few more names to the list that maybe wouldn't have been there if they'd kept the graffiti off.

 

[SAPhil]

I thought Frankfurt wasn't too bad. Stayed in a hotel just up the road and used to pop into the station late at night if I wanted something other than a kebab to eat! Guess my expectations must be lower than most

 

[TrackWatch]

I have visited pretty much all of those stations mentioned and not once have I had a problem. I also used to live in both Milan and Genoa too and found those stations OK, including later at night. Sure there are always undesirables around but I never once felt threatened or intimidated. I thought the area around Frankfurt Hbf more vibrant than rough.

Just walk purposely and confidently and all is usually ok, stand around looking lost and looking at a map (or map on your fone) and no doubt you'll get unwelcome attention.