Any of your teenagers got on the wrong train and ended up far from home?

[LynetteScavo]

DS had a near miss a few weeks ago and nearly ended up in Manchester (we live no where near Manchester!) but realised and jumped off the train before it was too late....his friend did indeed get on the wrong train recently and ended up far from home....not sure of the full story (DH is laughing to much when he tries to re-tell it ) but it was an expensive journey home....I think he may have ended up having to pay for a return ticket.

It's made me wonder if this is common among teenagers when they start travelling alone.

Eldest dc missed a stop due to falling asleep (on the way back from a festival). They managed to catch a return train, but I was hanging around at the station for 45 minutes....

We had a teenager - a big hulking lad - turn up at our front door once. He'd got on the wrong bus and didn't know he was; rang his mum who told him to knock on someone's door and ask.

My dp tried to tell him which bus to get back, but he kept getting confused, so she talked to his mum instead . Mum then explained to him, and off he went. dp kept an eye out of the window and saw him wandering in the wrong direction, so went out and gently steered him to the bus stop. She also asked if he had bus money, and he didn't, so she funded him.

Next day we got an envelope put through the door, with the money and a thank you note from the mum. The very sweet thing was that he was about 6'3", and no doubt full of fighting talk with his mates, but when he got lost he was just a little boy who needed his mum - or, come to that, any mum

Not yet! I have persuaded 14yo DS to take the train to my parents house in a few weeks. It involves two trains with the changeover being at a busy station.

He was really nervous so I said on the way there I'd take the first train with him and make sure he is on the right train, explaining all the things he should look out for such as signs showing platform then check the sign on the platform etc. On the way back I expect him to do the whole journey but he an call if he gets stuck.

It sounds so simple and I was surprised that he was nervous then realised that he has never had to get public transport of any kind. I think we forget how they still need to be shown some stuff even though they are older.

As for going too far, I just told him the worst case was that he went too far and had to come back again.

Fingers crossed!!

The kids have been fine up to now and have been getting to other countries by themselves absolutely fine ( they are 19 and 16)

I have to admit I ended up in Sheffield once when I was supposed to be going to Burnley!

No but I've done this twice as an adult It's easily done especially when there's last minute platform changes.

I could see this happening with my teen. He has only been on a train 3 or 4 times in his life ( with a an adult). I'd have more confidence sending him alone on plane to Australia!

Not yet - but I can imagine DS doing this at some point.
His default is always to ring me on his mobile though. Advice such as "look at the timetable on the platform" or "find a member of staff and ask" seem to pass him by

DS fell asleep and ended up fro 40 miles from school. Bus company was great and gave him a return ticket to his proper stop.

Not a long way fortunately, but dozy dd1 got on a train at the university that was nit a local stopping train and ended up 20 mins away. I called her to see where she was " its ok ive crossed over and im waiting for the train back ".......
Have you checked the timetable as its Sunday ?
You guessed it, she'd have been waiting hours ?ithout mums taxi!

Omg I'm terrible with trains. I only use them occasionally so
I'm not very used to them and have sometimes been known to get on the the wrong one quite a few times.

Now, when I think of it , it would probably me phoning/texting DS to find out where I am.

Only slightly related, but I once ended up landing at London city airport when I had been due to go to Heathrow (snow).

The first thing I had to do at the car hire place was to ask where the hell I was!

Trains are easy, buses terrify me, I've just not been brought up to use them.

I was getting a train to change and Doncaster to go up to scotland somewhere once and nodded off and woke up in hull... and I'm older than i care to admit, defo not a teenager!, having to ring my boss to explain was... embarrassing "what do you MEAN you're in hull?"

My dad was 23 and a naval rating when he fell asleep on the train to Evesham and ended up in Birmingham. Not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things - but it was his first visit to my mum's family and she was obviously GUTTED! She still married him though .

DD got on the wrong bus, going in the other direction from where she'd been, she did realise though and called me. I said to tell the driver and he told her where to get the bus back from (was on a dual carriageway so not as easy to cross the road). She lived to tell the tale and now knows what bus to get!

Yes! DD aged 14, first trip alone on the train, she was meant to be meeting a friend at a town two stops down the line. She forgot to look up and ended up at Crewe station, which is flipping miles away, and really confusing to find your way around. In the end she found a nice member of staff who put her on the right train home. That was a 6 hour round trip for her and she didn't even get to see her friend in the end. She has been fine on trains since then, and has learned to listen to the station announcements.

Yes, my son (18) has twice ended up very far away by getting on the wrong train. Maybe due to late platform changes or mis-reading the arrivals board instead of departure board.
It was stressful but he sorted it out and is (getting) more streetwise now!!

Having mobile phones is a massive help in these situations I think.

Pradababe - I'm not so sure mobile phones are a help; sorting out your own salvation is an important life skill to learn.
When my DS was about 12 - 13 he and a couple of lads messed up a train trip while on a Scout camp in the West Country. Somehow they persuaded a railway official to arrange for the London to Cornwall express train to make an unscheduled stop to rescue them - no mother contacted on a mobile could achieve that I am sure!!

I did this only the other day! Stood on the wrong side of the platform at my local station (despite having got the train from there hundreds of times) and went the wrong way. The problem is, the next stop the wrong way is half an hour away (as opposed to 7 mins into the city centre the other way) and in the wrong county, so I had a long and expensive return trip.

dd ended up on the wrong train a few years ago, but it was all my fault!

We were travelling from the south coast to the Midlands and had to change trains in London. It was one of those trains where you have to get on the right half as it splits in 2 after a few stations. I usually booked seats so knew where to get on. This time I hadn't reserved seats and we'd run to catch the train so were in a complete rush.

I thought that we might be on the wrong half, tried walking along to look for a guard but found that the train door was locked after a few carriages.

At the next stop I got off to speak to a member of staff on the platform, found that we were indeed on the wrong part of the train, turned to get back on and found that the train door was locked. I had to stand and watch the train pull away with dd on board.

I was a nervous wreck. I'd left her with all the bags and didn't even have my purse or phone. Couldn't call her. Felt like the worst mother in the world.

Poor dd was only about 9 at the time.

What did you do, Cariadlet???? I need to know for future reference!!!

Hi shrunkenhead

Basically I turned into an incoherent gibbering wreck, shrieking "My daughter's on the train! My daughter's on the train!"

Everybody was so helpful. First I got taken to an office and explained what had happened. Somebody phoned the guard on the train that dd was on. Then I was put on a local train.

dd was taken off at the next stop. My train went through that stop, but it was one of those very slow ones that stop at every tiny station. It seemed to take forever to get there. A guard came along not long after I got on the train - I think my lack of coat and bags, and my uptight body language made it pretty obvious who I was. He told me that my dd was being looked after and was fine.

Somebody else was there to meet me when I got off the train. I was taken to an office and there was dd, spinning around on a chair and looking ultra-relaxed.

She said later that she'd burst into tears when the train had pulled away. She was sitting opposite a lad (sounded like he was probably in his late teens) who tried to comfort her but was completely out of his depth. Luckily a nice lady from across the aisle came and sat next to her. A little while later the guard came along, told her that I was going to the next station and that she'd be taken to me. By the time we met up she'd got over the scare and decided to be very grown up and cool with me as though it was no big deal.

Although it was scary at the time we did get plenty of positives from it: when talking about new situations or getting lost we could refer to it and the fact that it turned out OK, we talked about how kind and helpful people are. Best of all, after the holidays, she could go back to school (she used to go to the primary school where I teach) and try to embarrass me by announcing "My mum left me on the train!"

Thanks Cariadlet, glad there was a happy ending! It's the sort of thing I can see myself doing!