Have you ever been the only passenger on a train?

[WestCoast]

To mention, it has to be a publicly timetabled service, running in service for passengers.

I have only really experienced this twice that I took note of - once onboard a Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay Northern service for almost the full route (this service runs once a day) and once onboard a DB service.

Quite a strange feeling for some reason!

Any experiences?

 

[t0ffeeman]

I've been the only driver on a train without anybody else on in passenger service!

 

[150222]

I guess not really what you mean but i once had an entire northern 158 centre car to myself between todmorden and smithy bridge. At about midday.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

I've had all of the 4 FC coaches to myself on the last Pendolino out of Glasgow on a Monday night?

 

[sonic2009]

I was once the only passenger on the train, due to this train being so late it ran non-stop, it was a service around about 2 years ago from Birmingham Snow Hill - Stourbridge Junc.

 

[Lampshade]

I don't think I have; I did Stockport - Stalybridge once and even then there was another guy on board.

 

[WestCoast]

To qualify, it really has to be the whole train to yourself (excluding staff of course).

I've just remembered that I was the only passenger on a very early Northern service (about 0530) between Poulton-le-Fylde and Preston. 3-car 158 to myself.

So that's about 3 times.

 

[sprinterguy]

I can't quite qualify for having an entire train to myself, only a single carriage: I've had a 153 all to myself on one of LMs' 170+153 formations on a Hereford to Birmingham run, although there were a few people boarded the 170 but of course there was no throughflow from one to the other due to the lack of a corridor connection.

I've also been the sole occupant of a carriage on a late evening XC Voyager between Stafford and Wolverhampton, which I'm sure you'll agree is a pretty unusual occurence given Crosscountrys' well documented overcrowding problems.

The early morning (06:54/06:35, I think the earlier departure was on Saturdays) Newcastle to Glasgow 156 (via the Tyne Valley and the G&SW) was always a quiet one which meant that I could usually guarantee a table to myself to allow myself to stretch out a bit, but there was normally a few others onboard as well.

 

[150222]

I once had an entire TPE car to myself between middlesbrough and york. I admit it was a 6 car 158 (around 2006/2007). Quite rare as sometimes just a 2 car one turned up.

 

[sprinterguy]

It has to be asked that, unless the train you were on was a single 153 or similar, without walking the entire length of the train upon departure from a station to validate your suspicion, which is something that I personally would never feel inclined to do and I imagine that the majority of others probably feel the same way, how would you know that you were the only person on the train?

 

[WestCoast]

It has to be asked that, unless the train you were on was a single 153 or similar, without walking the entire length of the train upon departure from a station to validate your suspicion, which is something that I personally would never feel inclined to do and I imagine that the majority of others probably feel the same way, how would you know that you were the only person on the train?

For me:

First train was a 2-car 150 on an eerily quiet Ellesmere Port - Warrington service. I got on with 2 others at the starting station, they departed at Helsby, so I knew. No others boarded. A quick trip to the toilet confirmed it.

The second was 0530 on a Saturday morning, I was the only one who got on and I could see there was no one on the service. It's only happened on 2-car or 3-car services to me, so it was easy to know.

The DB train was a walk-through 3-car, so I could survey the whole train.

On a larger train, it would be difficult to know (also more unlikely).

 

[NSE]

I've regularly had an entire carriage to myself on the 18:08 off London Bridge, after Streatham it becomes quiet all the way to South Merton.

 

[MCR247]

0510 Nottingham - Spalding(?) as far as Grantham and the first service to Skeggy as far as Grantham

 

[mallard]

I and a friend I was travelling with have were only passengers on the Stourbridge shuttle once. Also, the run was still showing as "Cancelled" when we departed Stourbridge Junction.

 

[ukrob]

A 185 all to myself from Scunthorpe to Cleethropes one windy, cold and rainy winter evening.

The guard told me it was empty and to move to First Class if I wanted to. Also asked me if I wanted any of the unopened beers that had been left behind by others as they got off.

 

[Tom B]

I can't claim to be the only passenger on a train, but on an 8-coach HST from Aberdeen to Edinburgh (the evening one which terminates at Edinburgh) I was apparently one of 7 people on board on a given day, according to the guard!

On a few occasions on the LU I've caught a train off Tower Hill (having come from the east on a rammed train, seen a train in the bay and changed) and not seen anyone in my carriage or the others I could see through the windows.

 

[causton]

Once a 3-car 313 in the middle of a Saturday - from Hatfield to Potters Bar - that was surprising as on weekends there's only 2 slow services an hour!


This seems relatable enough that it should be in the same topic, so I shall also ask myself (and others!) the question, have you ever been the only passenger on a bus?

I was once, the entire 1 hour journey from Queensbury (north west London) to Hatfield - last bus of the evening on the day the last 67 stock ran (I was coming home from that run!) ... what made it even creepier was that the lights were on 'half' (i.e. every other light on) and the CCTV camera I sat next to had the lens covered by chewing gum!

 

[yorksrob]

Quite a few of times in first class on the MML HST North of Sheffield.

 

[WestCoast]

This seems relatable enough that it should be in the same topic, so I shall also ask myself (and others!) the question, have you ever been the only passenger on a bus?

Yes, quite a number of times I've caught the first bus of the day and been the only one. I've also been the only one on a tram in Nottingham between Station Street and Lace Market (not very far!).

 

[323235]

I've had the 0644 Manchester - Stoke to myself a few time from Poynton to Macclesfield and Stoke, one time being a cold winter day when it was minus something. I remember it because the train motors really sounded like they were struggling to keep going with the cold and I could see and hear the Pantograph arching constantly. Another time I did it to Macclesfield to catch the XC HST and it was empty departing Macclesfield after I had alighted. Nowadays the passenger numbers have increased a little bit and you get a lots of wierd and drunk people coming back from nights out and a few general earlybirds.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've had a whole 2 car 165 to myself; the Paddington - High Wycombe diagram...

 

[vjm1975]

I've been the only passenger on the Helsby to Ellesmere Port train a couple of times on the first afternoon service. Though last time I was rather taken aback by the fact that there were about 15 other people who boarded, some at Helsby, the rest at Ince & Elton. It is not uncommon for the guard to come and double double check you are on the right train.

Just this evening I was one of only 3 passengers on the London Midland service from Stafford to Crewe, departing Stafford at 21.09.

 

[GarethW]

Yes its happened a few times - back in the days when I did a lot of spotting/travelling, late Eighties - I used to get Southampton-Salisbury DEMUs often during the day, more than once I was the only passenger, suspect it probably ran just after a Pmth-Cardiff, though I can't really remember.

Also I've been the last passenger on the 2319 out of Winchester to Pmth Harbour by the time its got to Fareham.

Most spectacular was when I was spotting at Bristol TM circa late Eighties when a 31 with four or five very dirty Mk1s trundled into the platform, tannoy announced it as a relief to Leeds (I think) nobody else on the platform, nobody on the train, as I was on a rover I grabbed my camera bag and jumped on. Got off at the first stop which was Cheltenham ........ very very bizarre!

 

[RyanB]

I've been the only passenger on a late night bus many a time in Edinburgh, mostly when I've been coming back from the cinema, which is now a thing of the past given that I've passed my driving test and have a car to use.

 

[Sloppyjag]

Way back in the 80's, you could make a day return from Waverley to Haymarket last all day (I know, I know! I was young and impressionable and know now it was very wrong and wouldn't do it today!) and I would often jump on a North Berwick/Dunbar-Haymarket to meet one of the portions from Cartstairs. More often than not I was the only passenger, everyone else bar train crew having bailed out at Waverley.

 

[LE Greys]

Once or twice, I think. Once on the New Forest Pony at about ten at night - 1199 just sitting in the platform at Brock and nobody got on except me. The other was at about 04:30 from Stevenage to Finsbury Park. Strangely, little rural lines always seem to have healthy passenger numbers, but that's probably because I'm usually there on Saturdays rather than mid-week during the day.

 

[1018509]

I was one of less than a dozen from Los Angeles to Heathrow. Jumbo 747.

First class was packed us in steerage had whole rows of seats to curl up on.

Nothing to do with trains but hey..............

 

[bnm]

Just last week. A whole train to myself. A class 153!

2254 up from Severn Beach. Had it to myself as far as Avonmouth. The only reason I was on it from Severn Beach was because I'd fallen a kip and missed my stop at Shirehampton on the down.

 

[Eng274]

I had the entire rear coach to myself on a Lancaster - Morecambe 142 once (not really much of a feat)

I did have the entire coach to myself on a Birmingham - Edinburgh train between Penrith - Edinburgh, back in March.

But I've never been the sole passenger excluding traincrew on a train before.

 

[anthony263]

I have been the only passenger once a year or so ago on the Kenssington Olympia - Wandsworth road service.

Also been the only passenger on a tuesday morning on the 04:35 Swansea - Shrewsbury services as far as llanelli.