Scared of getting on trains and stepping over the gap

[FairViewRosie25]

Scared of getting on trains. Frightened of stepping over the gap.

As a young child in the 60s the gap terrified me I'd leap in and out of trains. I even had nightmares about it.

Last trip was Manchester. Piccadilly has a bloody bi gap

Omg when I was about 6 I watched a train safety video (I’m old 🤣) at school that emphasised the importance of minding the gap and I was so scared that I had a phobia of this for years of my childhood. I completely see where you are coming from!

You have two options here -the first is to actually seek out the opportunities to do this. The exposure will help lower the anxiety as it becomes normal. I have had to do this with a slightly similar phobia. Not easy but does help in the long run. You can work up an exposure ladder , where you take small preplanned steps towards the end goal. It does work.

Alternatively plan your journey around the stations with the smallest gaps. Eg when in London the newer tube lines and trains are designed with better access requirements in mind so might be easier for you. You can also let a few tubes go by to assess the situation .

The mainline trains are harder though as you will have fewer alternatives.

Both approaches are valid. It depends how much this problem impacts you and your life.

Yes at some stations the gap is huge. I sympathise. I dread going down escalators. I also cant walk down stairs without being at the side and holding on..embarrasing!

Yes I know. My back door has a similar step down. I know it is irrational but I can’t help my fear

Are you suffering any other mental health / anxiety issues OP?

(Avoid Clapham Junction at all costs.)

Did something happen that brought this on?

I’ll focus on the means to an end. I’m going to see Sam Ryder in Jesus Christ Superstar so will focus

That's not true at all! Bank (as you acknowledge to be fair) has a massive gap along at least a third of the platform due to the curve, but so do a lot of other stations. I'm short legged and can't count the number of stations I have had to fling myself on and off because of a gap that was too wide for my stride.

I do seem to have anxiety issues was always ok. We had a top down flood in the house 2.5 years ago which meant we had to move out for 10 months been anxious ever since

OP, don’t go to Narberth in Pembrokeshire! The gap up to the train was huge. I’m normally fine with ‘the gap’ but this was awful!
I had my spaniel with me who is really used to jumping on the train and I had to scoop her up and jump on quickly.

My friends mum fell down the gap. Took ages to get her out!

Best to seek help from the GP for anxiety. But don’t feel bad asking for assistance. If you need it for MH reasons then you need it.

And my brother dropped a suitcase down the gap. But this was about 40 years ago when the gap was much bigger.

I'm one of the unlucky ones who has fallen in the gap, or until my belly stopped me. Yes it is horrible but this is why they have a conductor. They know the drill and I was hoisted out within 10 minutes, yes it is traumatic but I was given a £15 voucher to use on the train cafe to take my mind off it

Edit: to take your mind off it, if you are hoisted out they will not just pull you out. They have a tripod on wheels that is especially for this. You put your arms through a strap and they crank a handle on the hoist until you are free. I know this from experience

How do people fall in the gap?! It's not that big? When I was a child a loose shoe I was wearing came off as I was stepping onto the train and even that didn't fall through the gap and was wedged between train and platform.

It's really big at some stations. I also know someone who fell down and is badly scarred (physically). I always hold the handle in the train to leap out.

People minimising this obviously don't travel regularly on TFL. Many stations have quite big step downs from train to platform. Off top of my head Edmonton Green and James street Walthamstow but probably lots of others. Doable for a moderately fit middle aged person but with an injury or in icy conditions could be quite unsafe

Some of them are actually a lot wider. The ones on my line can be a bit of a drop and jump. OP if you need it you can book passenger assistance to help you even if your only limitation is this phobia.

That’s exactly it. If I don’t think I can do it but if I take just a second I freeze

SWR do too - Clapham Junction is bad.

James Street Walthamstow was the one I went under on Newusername2026. One foot went up but not my second fully and I stepped back onto the gap

If you an afford it find yourself a real CBT therapist trained in phobias and exposure therapy (BABCP accredited, check it on this page portal.babcp.com//therapist/register). Find one based near a train station where there are gaps and asks if they will do some sessions with you at the station. Phobias are overcomable with exposure therapy. Some NHS services would even offer this if it is having a substantial impact on your life, especially where they are training CBT therapists, but only if they are based near a station because they won't pay for the resource for a therapist to travel a long way from base.

I don’t have this phobia but I do have a severe blood phobia and I honestly just had to expose myself over and over again. Shrinking away and avoiding it only compounds the fear.