Begging getting more common on the railway?

[philosopher]

The London Northern City Line seems especially bad. After eight, almost every time I have used this line there have beggers and on one journey there seemed to be three separate beggars on the train. The begging on this route during evenings is so bad that I am reluctant this line, instead opting for the Northern Line which does not have this issue.

The only instance after eight when I did not come across beggars on this line was when there were police on the train.

 

[alex397]

Noticed this a lot on the Thameslink services. Most are seemingly friendly and will politely move along once it’s made clear you’re not interested. But, others are not so friendly and are intimidating. In hindsight, I should have reported them and I will report them next time they are intimidating or aggressive.
I always considered a positive of a gated network to be less prominence of drunks or beggars, but that doesn’t seem to apply to the Thameslink . Though I’m sure they probably get on at the ungated stations of which they may be a few in outer London (I’ve only travelled on the inner London line)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jan 2025 ==

Moving out of London was the best thing I ever did!

Aggressive begging is certainly also an issue outside of London in places. Where I live in Kent certainly has an issue with it. They have probably been even more intimidating than the ones I’ve encountered in London.
Though of course it is much more prominent in London, so I can see where you’re coming by from

 

[DerekC]

This week I went to London for the first time since August last year and I was shocked by the number of rough sleeping bags and gear laid out in the pedestrian tunnels approaching Waterloo Station from Waterloo Bridge. They were mostly empty, it being late afternoon when I walked through, but I guess their occupants were mostly out begging. The two occupants that were there certainly were! I used to walk that way most days and I don't recall any - or maybe one or two, but nothing like the number now.

 

[Peter Sarf]

The underpass under Wellesley Road into the Whitgift shopping centre is now closed. I peeked through the grille and could see it is now a shanty town !.
It is a long way round to get to a crossing now.
So it is not just the railways I suspect.