Train anxiety

Well done Tan. It's strange how some people are worried by one thing and others the opposite. Trains seem the safest bet to me - they are on tracks so they can't go astray. Buses, cars and planes on the other hand, can theoretically go anywhere.

I use an app when travelling by train which tracks my progress and keeps me informed about the next stop, which platform I have to get to and when the connecting train leaves.

Planning and good sources of information are the secret to worry-free train travel.

I have seen some people on GN who have problems driving on motorways. My biggest worry is driving on two-lane roads with nothing between me and the oncoming traffic. I can relax when I get onto the motorway.

I hate this business of making seat reservations on trains.
Why can’t we just turn up and buy a ticket like we always have done in the past.
Last time I tried reserving a seat, I still ended up in the wrong carriage. When I did eventually find my seat, there was someone sitting in it anyway.
I never travel by train now unless accompanied by someone.

Great! Sometimes just thinking about something raises anxiety. You got up, got going and achieved. No stopping you now.

Thank you all so much. I’m overwhelmed by your support and If I’ve helped anyone to face their own fears that’s a bonus. I’m going to try it again when I can I felt sick with anxiety waiting on the platform( and they announced it was delayed) but felt better when I got on and could see the rolling announcement telling me I was on the right train . Good luck to everyone else whatever you have to do

Well done. I haven’t been on one in about four years for the same reason. I think it’s because they’re so unreliable ... and I’ll miss a connection or go on the wrong train and I don’t like using the toilets ... and I need a seat ... the list goes on xxx

I like travelling by train but can get a bit worried when I have to get connections. But on my recent trip to my daughters the train was really busy and there was a smell from the toilet. Not a pleasant journey.

My husband and I did lots of travelling together, even lived abroad for a few years. He died 11 years ago when I was 57. I still get very anxious if I have to travel almost anywhere - it’s pathetic!

It's quite difficult to work out how to get your ticket out of a ticket machine, when there is no one at the window.

Are all the doors automatic now? Like paperbackwriter I have a dread of not being able to open the door.

I'm the same, if I haven't done the journey before. Not keen on changing trains tho.

I have a flying phobia. Which is an issue, because I work overseas! I'm pathetic. Crying. Shaking.

I was 47 when my husband died and I felt I needed to prove to myself that I could do things in my own. Arranged childcare for my two youngest kids, booked a holiday that required driving on strange (to me) roads and car ferry. I was a nervous wreck but I did it and felt fantastic and full of confidence afterwards. For me jumping in at the deep end just short of a year after loosing my husband was the right thing to do

Well done! Good for you, overcoming your fears.

I am a little anxious especially about missing a train or a connection but my mother was far worse.
She panicked about losing her reserved seat (which sometimes happened) so I would accompany her to the train and find her seat and put her luggage somewhere where she could reach it again.
However, the inevitable happened and once the London train went off with me still on it.

Luckily it stopped at Berwick on Tweed and I managed to get back to Edinburgh the same day
The ticket collector said I was the third person that day!

I think any travelling is stressful.
Personally I much prefer trains to planes. Look at the faces at any airport. As for driving..... especially in the dark on motorways!....

The last time I went on a train journey with my son, the train had no sooner left the station than it stopped for 45 minutes due to signalling difficulties. Then when we completed the first leg of the journey our next train was cancelled and my son had to sort out another one. On the return journey another of our trains was cancelled. If I had been on my own I think I would have sat and cried with the stress of it all.

Good on you Twiceasnice xx

I can fully understand that!
A few years ago I decided to book a mid week break to York, somewhere I had wanted to go to for a long time. I had never been on a train journey where I had had to change lines at any point and started to panic "what if the first train is late and I miss the next one and I get into trouble for using the wrong timed ticket on the next train?" etc.
I swear my knuckles must have been a giveaway until I got off at York after a smooth trip with no problems!
Like you, Twiceasnice, I felt pretty proud at my accomplishment!
On the way back, the train was delayed outside Sheffield and the panic once again kicked in - little did I know, that the train I was on was Cross Country - all the other linking trains had to wait for it!
After all that, I would love to go back to York but I think that I will have more than one change, if various railway companies action their plans!

I used to travel to work by train every day. That was years ago. I was on a train about 6 or 7 years ago but I was with someone for the journey there and back.
I have never been alone on a train or a ferry. I don't know when I was last on a bus or coach, it must be about 40 years. I have never flown with anyone, always been alone on a plane
I tend to drive everywhere. For many years I did not have the opportunity to do much driving. When I started again I was so frightened. It was scary and still is sometimes but I can now drive on motorways and country roads as well as city and town roads. It feels like such an achievement
We need to put ourselves to the test and see just what we can do and think of the joys that pushing our limits bring. I love my drives to various places.

Congratulations on facing your fears and making the journey.
I love train travel. My DDs live in Cornwall and I visit about every 2 months. I have the journey down to a t now. 8.15 train from local station into central london, bus to Paddington arriving about 9ish, buy sandwich etc for the journey then breakfast and coffee (in my insulated cup) ready for the train at 10.05. Get settled in my seat with the rest of my coffee and my kindle 4.5 hr journey flies by.

You did well. Keep it up if you possibly can

I love train travel but I'm one of those who has to get to the station about 40 minutes before the train is due to leave. Also, until recently when all doors are now automatic, I used to get very stressed about not being able to open the door at the destination. Small things but they all count, don't they?
My biggest phobia now is having to sit next to someone who might be travel-sick (I'd never go on a coach, for example). Following the thread about that the other day, I may now never fly again!

awww well done to you. Anxiety in any form can be deliberating at any age and it's natural to run away or avoid fearful situations.

I fell on the bus recently and realised it's made me more anxious when traveling on them now.

Stories like yours inspire me and others to keep conquering our fears as it doesn't matter if it's big or small its a sense of achievement.

You have encouraged me! Thank you! I used to travel up and down and round the country by train with no worries but after an 18 month gap and knowing I'm not as fit as I was I am feeling quite anxious about the train journey to my daughter's home for Christmas. I worry about the high step down from the train carriage on the last leg of the journey. I have decided to taxi it to the station, then once in London I have to get a bus to Waterloo, and a final train. My daughter has said she will meet me in London, but I need to know I can do it. I will accept her help. Knowing that you have braved it will help me. Thanks for posting this issue.

I know exactly what you mean - I make a train journey about once a year but used to regularly go to London on my own and enjoyed it! I can't think why I get so anxious about it now. It's the same with buses, and yet I enjoy public transport! I have a friend who thinks nothing of flying solo around the world but cannot cope with driving on a motorway!

TwiceAsNice thank you for talking about your train anxiety and how you're overcoming it because in doing so you've motivated others to mention their own difficulties. Many people bottle up their anxieties and are afraid to talk about them, but you've shown how sharing them can be an encouragement.

Proud of you. I hope this success makes it a little easier next time