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This is the second of two polls asking at what age you would let your SON travel alone by train for the first time.  This is a "present day" question; the first poll asked about when you first travelled alone by train, and I'm looking (on that one) for historic data.

I can't answer but I will poll some friends and answer on their behalf

In my case it was when.

I took him on a train to Reading and put him on an XC (47/8) to Southampton Central where he was met by his Great Aunt.

Although I travelled alone at 10 I think I would leave it to 12 nowadays for two reasons, on many lines there are no Guards and many stations unmanned.

Them's were the days! And I'm not event that old...

I can not afford any kids, but if I did have any, I would consider that a fairly young child, aged perhaps 10, could make a simple rail journey on their own.
I dont think that the distance is very important but the complexity is, and I would be a little doubtful about a younger child having to change trains owing to the risks of delays and lost connections etc.
A long but simple and direct trip such as Paddington to Plymouth, no problem for a sensible kid.
The general availability of cellphones is a very considerable advantage as the child may seek advice or keep parents informed in the event of delay, diversion, extreme weather etc.

Erm... I'm probably a bit young to have kids :o ;) :D

But I would say if they took after me in any way. I would have no problems starting with a simple journey from the beginning of a double figure age :)

*edit* - Moved my other comment to a more appropriate thread which I didn't spot before posting ;)

Just two more days to go on this poll ... will all you "weekend only" types vote, please  ;)

My son (who shares none of my interest in trains) has shown himself to be perfectly competent in travelling from NLS on his own - with an appropriate 'health and safety' briefing from me, obviously! - from the age of 12.

CfN  ::)

And here is a question - would the answers be any different if it was about your DAUGHTER

Of course it would - but that wasn't the purpose of the poll!  ::) :P :o

No - but since im a bolshy cow I would seriously object to being treated different!  I may impose my own safety rules - and did even at 14 - but I railed at my parents for imposing them on me

Why not start a poll  :D ;D

I had a specific reason for asking the question as I did (and, yes, I thought "daughter" too) ... I don't want to influence anyone, so I'll leave my explanation until after this poll closes.

Erm ... just out of idle curiosity on my part, Mookiemoo: are you saying that you became a bolshy cow from the age of 14?  ;) :D ;D

Think I was born that way but I remember it was the first time I argued back properly with my parents - I looked over 15 (I looked older than I was as a teenager and now look younger than I am - I think I an frozen in stasis) - want to go see beetlejuice with a boyfriend - they had no issue with me going to see a 15 but did have with me getting a train from  orrell park to liverpool central on a sat night.  I did the teenager strop and stormed off anyway

here is the results....

link here

http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/community/mbd/post.aspx?page_size=25&rownum=6&threadpage_no=1&sincedate=04%2f02%2f2011+00%3a00%3a00&thread_id=38114901&board_id=480&forum_id=1&thread_name=Q+for+another+forum+I+use+-+to+parents+of+sons&mod_no=&daterange=2days&viewchange=LASTPOSTDESC

yeah - its a bunch of fat women but its a public googlable forum so copying the link in doesnt matter

probably about 12 short, 16 long but it very much depends on the individual boy|
MCMICROGAL
11-11 / 11-4 / 9-6
Recent Posts: 23090
   
04/02/2011 21:23:51   report this post | ground rules
My answer would be the same for daughters,
WILLOTHEWISP
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04/02/2011 21:25:28   report this post | ground rules
I've always used the local trains with my children, so as soon as they went to Comp, I've allowed them to go into Cardiff or to visit family unaccompanied as they knew the route.

My son would have been 11. He's 16 now and has been to other locations on different routes with friends since he was 14.
 HELISH
14-9.5 / 14-9 / 10-7
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04/02/2011 21:28:09   report this post | ground rules
I didn't catch a train until I was 16, first time I caught one alone I was 18, but that's cos the taxi of Mum/Dad was always on hand.

Best mate used to take a 20mins train each way to secondary school from the age of 11, but those were less scary times and in the countryside.
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After being a bad WWer last year I have reset my stats for this fresh start.

So onwards and downwards as 2011 is going to be my year.
tonydeighton
13-13 / 13-7 / 10-7
Recent Posts: 32921
   
04/02/2011 21:45:18   report this post | ground rules
We let my son use trains on his own from about 10, I probably would have let him do it sooner but the question never arose. Trains are very safe to use.

T :)
tonydeighton
13-13 / 13-7 / 10-7
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04/02/2011 21:46:02   report this post | ground rules
I used the tube from aged 8.

T :)
CITYLADY73
14-10 / 12-4 / 11-
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04/02/2011 22:22:14   report this post | ground rules
guess it depends on how grown up your child acts. I'm just letting my son use the trains now he is 14. But i allowed my daughter at 12 as she seemed capable to keep herself safe at that age. Its a tough one. Good luck. x
DUCKDAZE
9-7 / 8-12 / 8-5
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05/02/2011 07:40:56   report this post | ground rules
My daughters will have to use the train for a short journey every day from the age of 11 to get to school.

My friends used to do the same thing when I was that age.
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*NEWNESSNOODLE*
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05/02/2011 07:51:52   report this post | ground rules
I can recall using the tube alone (but not in rush hour) prior to emigrating so I must have been under 12/13 yrs.... Buses a year or two younger than that.... I know children now who go to secondary school by themselves on public transport so it hasn't changed all THAT much over the years it would seem
OTTERS4EVER
Recent Posts: 33117
   
05/02/2011 07:55:13   report this post | ground rules
I went Sheffield to London, then St Pancras across to St Margaret's, which required changes, to stay with my Grandma, when I was 14. I was sensible and probably too scared to go looking for trouble.

I think it depends on known character/confidence of son (or daughter), how simple the journey is, and what the expectation is. As Ducky said, if that's how you get to school, then that's how you get to school!

At least these days everyone has a mobile phone, too.
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KATIECOUNTRYMOUSE
Recent Posts: 1405
   
05/02/2011 09:10:36   report this post | ground rules
Son used trains for short journeys at about 12. He is now 15 and I think I would allow him to use them for long journeys if he needed to because he is very sensible.

Interesting results ... and not entirely what I expected.   It peaks at 12 or 13 in both polls ... but the poll for your son is much narrower in spread than the poll for yourself; I suppose that's natural, as I didn't ask "at what age would you have been allowed to travel alone.

I was commuting to school well before the age of 10 - "different times" as some people have said, but perfectly capable of my walking from St Mary Cray if the line via Petts Wood was blocked, or to Gypsy Hill if Sydenham Hill was unavailable.  So I was rather shocked when someone declined to let his son come to us because he couldn't travel alone - "he's only 14" he said.

Son v daughter is an interesting one - I'm not sure I can correlate Mookiemoo's answers on the same scale as mine.  I have one of each, and can recall both of them asking me "Dad, can I go to xxxx on my own for the weekend" and "Dad, can I come back from yyyyy".  Both had travelled with me from an early age, both had prepared their 'case' and studied their journeys before they even asked me.  Both cases - deep breath and "yes".

And I suppose we should remember with these surverys that we are a biased group and probably not a fair sample.