To let my 15 ds get a train from Birmingham uni to Birmingham New Street then Euston Station on the train on his own?

[Owlbabie5]

Dp and Ds insisting he’ll be fine. I’m feeling twitchy. He has never been to Birmingham. We’d pick him up at Euston.

The campus is well sign posted, it's likely to be fairly quiet at this time of year, but there will be people around to ask if he's not sure.

University is two stops from New St and the trains ads every ten minutes. Trains from New St to Euston are every twenty minutes. New St is a big station, but if he’s already used to Euston he’ll be fine.

The university is easy as only two platforms but I don't think that New Street is that easy to navigate nowadays especially if you arrive in one "lounge" and then have to navigate to another. It's harder than Euston. However if you look up the journey on National Rail Enquiries a couple of hours before it will give you the platform he needs.

Of course he'll be fine

He’ll be fine. The uni to new street is simple and the Euston train well signboarded

I'm in Birmingham. The (fairly) recent revamp of New Street station is lovely. It's as other pps have said, big, bright, lots of staff around, good notification for platforms & times etc.

How long is the trip? I have no idea where any of those places are, but in the country I'm in, many kids travel to school on a train from like, 10 or 11. If he was 15, I would have been expecting him to be used to going to the city/use public transport on his own. 15 is about the age your do driver's ed in preparation for going for your licence at 16/17. Not aiming this at you, but in general - I amazed at the over-protection of children in the UK, it seems rather extreme to me. Kids walk to school here by themselves to primary school, kids go into the city by themselves/in a group at like 13 etc. Unless the child has SEN then I see no reason why a teenager shouldn't be travelling by themselves.

I live in London and travel on trains and the underground on a daily basis.
I personally would not let a 15 year old travel by themselves on the train and into London.
This is my opinion.

I live in London and travel on trains and the underground on a daily basis.
I personally would not let a 15 year old travel by themselves on the train and into London.
This is my opinion.

That might be your opinion but I’m not sure it’s based on anything logical! Do you miss the hundreds, probably thousands, of 15 year olds doing exactly that every single day in London?! It’s really not complicated or dangerous.

OP my ds has been travelling to and from New Street with his schoolmates since he was 13, on a similar journey without any problems. He’ll be fine.

Whenever my teen has done a big expedition alone for the first time, I find it useful to ask myself, "What's the worst thing that's likely to happen?" and give her some coaching for how she might prevent or cope with that situation. That reassures her as well as me that she has the skills to deal with the likely problems.

Examples in this case: lost ticket, missed train, can't find station, can't find platform, got on wrong train.

Hope your DS has a great time!

Surely the train station at Birmingham Uni is the one 5 minutes walk from QE hospital which is near to the uni?

Once he gets to New Street he changes to a different platform for Euston

Opposed to walking to Moor street to get the Marylebone train

I don’t see a problem

I did my degree at Birmingham and was based in Muirhead tower (amazed it’s still standing, but I gather they’ve finally taken down the scaffolding!) so I can tell you it’s an easy walk to the uni station, a direct train to new Street and then just a matter of finding the right platform at NS. Should be very straightforward, and I did similar at that age - if he’s sensible and has a mobile phone I’d say it’s no problem at all.

Dp will meet him on the platform at Euston Avaniah.

If he gets the Trainline app he'll be able to check in advance which platform at new street he'll be leaving from.

Sounds fine. He might get a bit lost in New Street, but that'll be a learning experience.

If he needs to change platforms, it'll be easier at the "b" end of New Street.

No problem.

Birmingham New Street is huge but it's well signposted and lots of helpful staff. DD is 13 and manages it quite easily alone and can even hop on the tube to the right place on arriving in London ( though I prefer her not to but that just the over protective mother in me!!)

A 15 year old should manage it easily. Is someone meeting him at Euston?

sorry just seen he is being met. He will be absolutely fine then

He might feel a bit anxious, he might potentially get lost a bit and have to ask for directions. At worse something might happen and he misses his train, in which case, he might need to ask staff at the station what to do.

These are things a 15yo should experience. It is not fair on them to be restricted from such an important opportunity to practice his skills just because its making you anxious. Part of being a good and supportive parent is to encourage them to face situations on their own.

And that's with us parents having the luxury to be able to get in touch and track them at all time with mobile phones, seething the generation before didn't have.

New Street is big and busy but there's lots of staff about - I forgot my glasses and couldn't see the boards and got flustered and someone all but put me on the train so I think he will be fine actually.

Glad you’ve booked it, it should be fine.

Tell him one thing. His train from University station will (usually) arrive at one of the high-numbered platforms at New Street. His train to Euston will depart from a lower numbered platform. To get from one platform to the other he should go up the escalator at the b end of the platform (e.g. platform 12b rather than 12a): that way he can get between platforms without having to go through a ticket barrier.

Make sure he has the National Rail Enquiries app on his phone: that way he can check which platforms his trains arrive at & depart from.

University station is opposite the medical school. Most of the rest of the university campus is a bit of a walk.

A 15 year old should absolutely be able to do this.

Don’t need him on the platform at Euston. Let him get himself off the train and through the barrier and meet him there

Birmingham graduate here who did this journey at 17 - the first time I'd been on a train on my own. It was fine.

I walked from the station to Arts/the Muirhead tower. It was easy.

I feel old. I was at Birmingham 20 years ago. It's a beautiful campus.

Hope it goes well, I think Birmingham New Street is an easy station to navigate, he just needs to take his time and remember the people of Birmingham are nice and friendly.