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Have you ever been the only passenger on a train?

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SprinterMan

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Been the only one on the once-a-day Stratford - Cheshunt via Seven Sisters train. Does that still run nowadays?

It now runs Liverpool Street-Stratford-Seven Sisters-Enfield Town, saturday mornings only departing at 0528.

I have had the carriage or NXEA 360s to myself twice, once on an early morning service to LST during the snow in December last year, and once a few weeks ago on a saturday during the day. I have been the only person in the carriage of an ATW 150 working the last train into Llandudno from Llandudno junction.
 

tcm1106

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Two years ago (I think...) I was on a twin 220/221 set heading from Taunton to Birmingham on the 19:51 off Taunton. Due to engineering works in the Tiverton area, the service was started from Taunton and as such wasn't very busy. After having walked the length of the set that I was in, I realised I was the only person excluding the staff onboard this set. Again, quite unique for an XC service....
 

GarethW

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I've been the only passenger on a Central line train at West Ruislip. I could see down both ends. Not for long though, a couple of people got on at Ruislip Gardens :D

Forgot about the tube, used to live in Croxley Green years back and quite often was last on a late train back to Watford from Baker Street.
 

causton

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Oh with tube, usually the first station - second station on a line I've been the only person. Canons Park - Stanmore on the Jub, High Barnet to almost Finchley on the Northern, Aldgate to Liv St on an S stock on the Met (nobody else thought it was their train, probably!) and possibly others that I never checked/noticed!
 

ChrisCooper

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I've been the only passenger at least twice. Once was the last service of Lowesfoft which I boarded at Oulton Broad. It was 4 cars with the normal 150 coupled to the 170 off the last London arrival. The guard and presumably the 170 crew were all in the 170 so they never came around to get my money and I got a free ride.
Second time was not last Christmas but the year before, between Christmas and New Year on a late service from Long Eaton to Loughborough with a 153. A woman did get on at East Midlands Parkway though.
I've had a few trips on London Underground and London Suburban services at weekends where I've been the only person I could see on the train, but due to the length there might have been others further along that I couldn't see.
 

class377man

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Don't recall it ever happening on a train, I've been the only person in a carriage before but not bothered to check the rest of the train, but it's happened plenty of times on buses.
 

sammyg901

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been on Chiltern Railways High Wycombe - Aylesbury (or parts of) by myself quite a few times around 11pm. They really are just stock positioning moves from Princes Risborough onwards.

A couple of memorable occasions was a train started from West Ruislip (engineering works) - arriving 20mins late and then the driver changing ends and reversing back once on the branch to Aylesbury to collect a stranded 165 from the bay at Princes Risborough. The driver was v surprised to even have a passenger and was very apologetic!

Another time I was waiting on my own at High Wycombe for the ever more delayed train and eventually the security guard appeared and let me know that it was stuck at Beaconsfield as they couldn't get the doors to close and would I mind him getting me a taxi back to Aylesbury. £45 on the meter in exchange for a £2 single - I sure didn't mind :lol:
 

hairyhandedfool

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I think I was the only occupant of a 319 about 6, maybe 7 years ago, early morning, maybe 0330 service or 0430 service from Bedford (I had just missed the 0030 train home).

More recently, I was the sole occupant of coach B on a Pendilino all the way from Nuneaton to Manchester just before christmas. Not too suprising really as it was on a mid afternoon service on a Sunday and it started at Rugby.
 

Track Basher

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I have had this quite a few times. The most notable was in 1985 when on the Saturday was Landore open day followed by Stewarts Lane open day on the Sunday. Hotels were more expensive then than they are now. In order to avoid paying for one I caught the Fishguard boat train from Swansea. The train then used to work back Fishguard to Paddington and went on this day Swansea - Cardiff - Bristol TM - Trowbridge - Newbury - Paddington. I had a nice steam heat 47 Swansea - Fishguard and back for 47484 to Paddington. No other passengers until Cardiff on the way to London as the boat to Ireland was not running. Nice steam heat Mk1 compartment (and train) to myself.

I also think a few other places I was the only passenger
Croxley Green
Sinfin Central
Can't remember any others
 

Domeyhead

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Yes i have, and according to the guard I was the only passenger EVER on the service! . Back in the seventies I had been at my girlfriend's in Hythe (Hants) and missed the last bus back to Lymington so ended up hitching to Lyndhurst Road station and spend a shivery night in the shelter, then just before 6am a 2-HAP unit appeared and stopped quite suddenly when it saw me. Guard was up with the driver and he told me the unit was on its way down from Eastleigh to Lymington to run the day's service to Brockenhurst. He also said that in all the time he had been on the duty they had never picked anyone up on the way down from Eastleigh!
Do I win a prize?
 

Buttsy

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One summer Saturday in Chester I was the only passenger on the Runcorn train (I was bagging the Halton curve). Despite being the only passenger, I was not informed of the reason for the 20 minute delay at Helsby, nor was my ticket checked. If he had done, I may have been excessed as I've since found out the Rover I had didn't cover Runcorn...
 

WestCoast

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One summer Saturday in Chester I was the only passenger on the Runcorn train (I was bagging the Halton curve). Despite being the only passenger, I was not informed of the reason for the 20 minute delay at Helsby, nor was my ticket checked. If he had done, I may have been excessed as I've since found out the Rover I had didn't cover Runcorn...

Out of interest, what rover was it?

That area of Cheshire seems to be the place to get empty trains!
 

Buttsy

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Also once had a taxi replacement service all to myself from Islip to Bicester Town... The run down the Ambrosden straight was good fun, especially when the bumps about 500yards outside the village were hit at about 70mph.
 

OuterDistant

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Best I can manage was front carriage of a 156 to myself; it was January 2004 and severe snow the gridlocked the whole city.

Although 40 minutes down (Live Departure boards said so, so I went back to bed!), the 6 mile journey took the usual 10 minutes. My boss, who lived just up the road from us but attempted the same journey by car, took three hours!
 

Chapeltom

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Pretty much had an entire First TransPennine Express service to myself for about 40 minutes on a Manchester Picc to Barrow service in January. It was a Bank Holiday Monday.

On Good Friday morning I had a Class 150 to myself when on a direct train from Chapel en le Frith to Preston. Very few got on or off and I was the only passenger for much of the journey.
 
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I went all the way from Snaith (East Yorkshire) to Leeds with just me on the train

The train never felt like it exceeded 30mph though, the most boring journey of my life

Btw if anyone knows of Snaith or Snaith station, 'limited service' does not do it justice
 

Buttsy

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I think NR have missed the line off the map. The fact Runcorn is mentioned but no line through it, gives it away!

I think that the map was slightly different then and Runcorn wasn't on it. It was about 10 years ago as on the Sunday I jumped on the Preston - Carlisle via Clitheroe to Ribblehead. As it stopped at Clitheroe, it was certainly after the services to there restarted.
 

142094

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Once, on a Pacer from Newcastle - Metrocentre.

Many a time late at night - suprised Northern haven't done away with them after 9pm.

Also on a Bishop Auckland - Darlo service, but this was the last of the night so wasn't expecting many.
 

northrob

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18 Feb 2011
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York
(First post, please be gentle!)

As far as I can remember, I've been the only passenger on a train twice.

One of the occasions was on a 142 working the Helsby - Ellesmere Port service while doing a North West Rover, the guard asked me where I was heading before departure to and we ran non-stop to Ellesmere Port.

The other one was between York and Wakefield Westgate on a HST at about 2215 one Friday evening heading to Birmingham. This was when Leeds was closed during the evenings and overnight (with some services serving a temporary platform at Leeds Whitehall) and we operated via Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate. A wander down the train quickly established that I was the only passenger on the train, a fact confirmed by the guard.
 

Metrailway

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Been on an 8 car A Stock with me as the only passenger ages ago. It was the middle of Winter, and I was heading to Aylesbury. I got the first train of the day to Amersham, which was an all stations. I got on at Baker St but no-one else boarded at all during the trip!
 

buses7675

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17 Jul 2010
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Hi All,

I've been the only passenger on the Northern Rail service from Liverpool South Parkway to Blackpool, between [stn]LPY[/stn] and Liverpool Lime Street.

It was only recently extended to run to [stn]LPY[/stn] and as it seems it isn't used much between those two stations!
 

theblackwatch

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Yes, I had a Class 37 hauled service train to myself as recently as 2004. Me, driver and guard on it. At the next stop, a couple more people joined and it ran for the remaining 18 miles with 3 passengers on board.
 

gnolife

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this afternoon I had a 156 to myself between Slaithwaite and Mossley Mancr (I was going Huddersfield to Stalybridge, and decided that the Liverpool bound 185 was NOT for me when I found it standing room only :(
 

jonesy3001

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Otley, West Yorkshire
The 22:55 Morecambe to Preston(M-F) is normally a 156 and its quiet between morecambe and lancaster,me and the wife normally sit in the front carriage.
 
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