Kids on train on their own question!

[ChangingStates]

Contemplating whether I should let my kids do a train journey without an adult with them.

Facts-

• 15 & 11 years old
• both sensible
• direct train- 2 hours
• 1 parent would see them on the train at one end and the other would meet them at the other end

I am in two minds, would you do it?

Yes. There should be a number I think to call if any issues on a train. Not sure where you'd get it but that would be worth furnishing them with if you can

Yes I think it would be fine. The 15 year old should be perfectly capable.

Yes I'd be fine with that (and I tend to be at the more cautious end of MN)

Yes of course.

I might think twice about an 11yo alone, depending on where/when the journey is and how confident they are, but I wouldn't be at all concerned about an 11 and 15yo traveling together.

Yes. I wouldn’t let the 11 year old go alone, but the 15 year old would be more than capable, surely? Together I can’t see what possible issue there could be - they’ve both got phones if there was a problem.

Absolutely yes. First time for anything is hard but this is totally fine.

Yes, absolutely.

Thanks for all the replies.

I was leaning towards yes but was wobbling over the 'what if the train breaks down / a random person shouts at them / one of them hurts themselves' type scenarios. I have a tendency to worry about the very small chance of an unforeseen problem!

Totally fine - I used to do this alone from about 12 so a 15 year old would be fine :D

They should be fine as long as one of them has traveled independently before.

At that age no problem, assuming they're generally sensible.

Mine have done this. Exactly the same ages.
We had a conversation about what to do if... with various scenarios.

It was absolutely fine. They had phones, and spent the journey (about 2 hours) playing on phones and eating snacks.
I think I paid for first class advance tickets (so not as expensive) so they'd be in a quieter carriage.

I presume the 15yo has a mobile phone with data/minutes, who could ring either parent in an emergency or look at an App if their train gets cancelled to work out an alternative route?

Yes with prebooked tickets, allocated seats, parents at the departure and arrival stations and a mobile phone with them on the journey.

Yes, for sure. A lot of secondary school kids take much more complex journeys.

Yes, my kids were getting a train to school at 11.

Yes. I did similar on my own completely aged about 10 and way before mobiles. I was def the more sensible end of the spectrum tho.

If they had mobiles and both sensible I think fine. Ideally I’d book actual seats if poss.

Ideally I’d book actual seats if poss.

If you (general you) buy tickets in advance, which you should when possible, because it's cheaper, especially if you can travel at less busy times, you get a booked seat.

Are they used to trains/public transport?
I’d have done this at 11/12 with no problem, abd in fact regularly traveled by myself from London (home) to friends and family the Lake District, mid Wales abs Sussex/Kent as a teenager. But we were a family that didn’t drive much, and I was familiar buses and trains.
We are completely country bumpkins now. I asked ds (13) if he’d mind getting a bus back from the next village recently - it’s 2 miles. Straight road, he goes there all the time, but I drive. Completely freaked him out. He’s never been on a bus by himself before.

Yes both used to travel, although mostly with an adult. Eldest has done a couple of tube rides into / out of London with friends only. They will have phones and we'll definitely have scenario plans. Just had a chat with them about it- eldest very cool and unbothered, 11 year old a bit nervous about the idea but it's not for a couple of months yet so am sure she'll come round.

Thanks for the reassurance and tips - will definitely look at pre-booking seats

I'd be seriously worried about a 15 Yr old you don't think can sit on train for 2 hours!

They are being dropped off at one station and then picked up at the next. I'd imagine most 11 year old should be able to do that let alone a 15 and 11 year old.

I asked ds (13) if he’d mind getting a bus back from the next village recently - it’s 2 miles. Straight road, he goes there all the time, but I drive. Completely freaked him out. He’s never been on a bus by himself before.

Then surely it's time he started. Won't he be wanting to go out and about meeting his friends in the summer? No reason why you should always have to drive if there's a public transport option.

@LouisRenault

I asked ds (13) if he’d mind getting a bus back from the next village recently - it’s 2 miles. Straight road, he goes there all the time, but I drive. Completely freaked him out. He’s never been on a bus by himself before.

Then surely it's time he started. Won't he be wanting to go out and about meeting his friends in the summer? No reason why you should always have to drive if there's a public transport option.

We have now started.

At the time he should have been becoming more independent, we went into lockdown. His school is over the road, many of his friends live nearby. DM lives in walking distance, so it hasn’t really been an issue until now.

Although buses are technically an option, their frequency (once an hour or less), doesn’t make them that useful if tying into class times etc.

DS will be moving schools in September and will need to get the bus there, so having established that he’s not been on a bus for long enough that he’s not familiar with it, we’re working on that.

My brother and I started travelling by train to our dad's house every other weekend when my brother was 15 and I was 12. It involved two trains, a longer one and then a quick local connection. We were both pretty sensible kids, both had phones and always travelled together. Our mum would drop us at the station and our dad would pick us up at the other end. It wouldn't really have been feasible any other way.