Morning rush hour from Denmark Hill to City

[KVT]

I would be grateful for any advice on which trains from Denmark Hill to the City are the busiest during rush hour (so I can avoid them)?

I am pregnant and finding the morning commute from Denmark Hill to City Thameslink really difficult when the trains are busy and I can't get a seat (I normally get the 8.39 or 8.45). So I am looking at changing my working hours so I start earlier or later, to enable me to miss the worst of the rush hour, and have a chance of getting a seat on the train (I know its only a short journey, but really uncomfortable with a bump!).

If I get the 7.37 from Denmark Hill, is that one usually crammed? What about the 8.04? If I leave it until 9.19, would that be any better?

I'd be really grateful to hear your experiences

Many thanks

[Jessie]

I occasionally get the 9 12 and that usually has seats. Good luck.

[Bluedark]

I am pregnant too and the morning and evening commute has been a challenge I have to say...I normally take 9:12 or 9:19; as they are close to 9:07 they are relatively quiet. 90% of the time I can get a seat. Maybe you should try before changing your working hours.

I also check the live train information on my way to the station and if there is any problem with 9:07 I don't get near to denmark hill station (on almost all occasions I couldn't even get on the train if that has been the case). I go to ED instead to London Bridge and take 521.

Good luck. At least the hot summer days are over, trains were nightmare then!

[edcam]

Get a bit bossy. Get on the train and say "I'm pregnant, please can I have a seat.". I'm sure most of the time someone will help. People are mostly in their own bubble on that kind of journey. Break it and you should be fine.

[Minnza]

I get the 8.04 and there are no seats - the last of them disappear at Crofton Park.

I'd look at post-9am trains. As many City workers start early, I assume these would be quieter.

Agree that most commuters are in a bubble. If you can't find a quiet enough train I'd encourage you to get vocal too.

Hope you find a solution ok.

[ED - NAGAIUTB]

Make sure you get yourself a 'baby on board' badge. I regularly give up my seat, as do many others, for pregnant commuters but the badge makes you far more visible to us all. I've seen standing commuters ask if someone seated will give up their seat when they see the magic badge on a fellow commuter. It's like Kryptonite!

Good luck with the pregnancy :)

[KVT]

Thank you all for your tips, very helpful. I got the 7.37 this morning, and it was just as full, so I'm going to try the post 9am ones next to see if they're any better.

I will continue my quest for a quieter train, as even if a kind soul does give up their seat, it is just generally unpleasant and stressful to cram onto a train with people bashing into your bump with their bags and umbrellas (unintentionally, it can't be helped on a busy train)

And a big thank you to everyone who offers their seat to a pregnant lady - it really is very much appreciated!!!

[JohnL]

One of the 8:40 odd trains was cancelled this morning - so worst ever.

Usually happens when the children are off - strange that engines know that :)

[El Pibe]

They're all bad. 8:19 is particulalry bad as it's ALWAYS 6 minutes late meaning you have everyone for the 8:25 there too.

Make sure you shout at people to move down, people are pretty inconsiderate on the whol *grumpy face* _I've got a space and I ain't budging_

[JohnL]

There really should be guards ensuring this, and ensuring the

train is evenly balanced etc. But I never see any.

Today if one person had lost their footing we would all have

gone down like a pack of cards. Some people stayed on the platform

at Peckham Rye and didn't even try.

Trains have no capacity limit (unlike buses) - but I'd hate to be

in an incident on a train like that.

El Pibe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They're all bad. 8:19 is particulalry bad as it's

> ALWAYS 6 minutes late meaning you have everyone

> for the 8:25 there too.

>

> Make sure you shout at people to move down, people

> are pretty inconsiderate on the whol *grumpy face*

> _I've got a space and I ain't budging_

[StraferJack]

Boring bus person alert

But as I do a similar commute I feel duty bound to say in the mornings I get the bus - the 40 upper decks is usually effectively empty around 7:15am, and a change at E&C for a 45 is usually quick as well (I often walk from there but maybe not if I was pregnant!)

At that hour the journey is usually pretty swift as well - I leave a little earlier and catch a 7am bus from ED Station and am at my desk by about 7:40

I get the train back in the evenings tho - seats seem more plentiful around then

[Aims]

The trains do seem to have been particularly bad recently. I used to get a seat from Nunhead probably 80% of the time on the 8:27, even during term time. The past couple of weeks I've stood all the way to Farringdon 8 out of 10 mornings. Tedious.

[Bonfire2010]

Hi - I am also pregnant (30 weeks) and usually find that I get a seat on the 8.26 from Denmark Hill (I also get off at City Thameslink). I'm usually there for the 8.19 but never get on it as it's packed. If I don't manage to get a seat straight away then the train usually clears out quite a lot at Elephant & Castle.

I'd like to be more vocal as suggested above, but have had other commuters virtually shove me out the way to get on the train first so don't think they are going to be that bothered!

[KidKruger]

Most commuters are obviously locked into their own zone and not bent on checking who's pregnant and who's not, so you're going to have to do the best you can to make that as clear as possible - if the passengers don't know, they don't have a chance to help you. Being pushed around isn't great at best of time but if that happens you're going to have to let them know to try and avoid it continuing on that journey - and yes you'l have to do same next day ad infinitum.

I've never seen an instance where a pregnant woman asked across a carriage if someone could spare a seat and i didn't see at least 3 or 4 offer / get-up immediately.

If the trains were less crowded it would be easier to see if a particular person is

I find trains to City (say, Thameslink) from DH are a little less full at the rear, same with Victoria trains - inmy experience.

[Bonfire2010]

It's fine in theory to say that I/we need to make it clear that we need a seat, but personally I've been wary of this since a friend, nearing the end of her pregnancy and feeling faint, asked for a seat and received the response 'It's not my f*&?ing problem that you're pregnant'.

Lovely.

[Dopamine1979]

I once gave up my seat for a lady who looked pregnant but just turned out to be fat. She sucked her teeth at me but took the seat anyway.

[cle]

That's usually other women, no? I've found in my experience, they're last to offer.

[a fish]

Make sure the badge on your bump is at the eye level of a sitting down commuter. Make sure it's well into their field of vision. And if, as happened when I stood up a few weeks ago, someone other than you sits down - in this case a bloke - call them on it loudly.

[a fish]

Bonfire2010 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's fine in theory to say that I/we need to make

> it clear that we need a seat, but personally I've

> been wary of this since a friend, nearing the end

> of her pregnancy and feeling faint, asked for a

> seat and received the response 'It's not my

> f*&?ing problem that you're pregnant'.

>

> Lovely.

The answer to that should be "Yeah it is, I'm feeling very nauseous indeed; sitting down usually stops me from puking copiously".

[Jeremy]

Bonfire - don't be put off by the remote chance of encountering a nutter... if you're pregnant and need a seat, speak up!

[KidKruger]

"Make sure the badge on your bump is at the eye level of a sitting down commuter. Make sure it's well into their field of vision. And if, as happened when I stood up a few weeks ago, someone other than you sits down - in this case a bloke - call them on it loudly."

- This is so childish, this attitude of bollocking people for just being on the train and not being bent on looking out for your needs. This sense of entitlement, however reasonable (in the pecking-order of who deserves a seat) the cause may seem, can't extend to "I'm pregnant so everyone should know that, purely by osmosis, and I shouldn't have to stoop so low as to let people know I need seat".

"It's fine in theory to say that I/we need to make it clear that we need a seat, but personally I've been wary of this since a friend, nearing the end of her pregnancy and feeling faint, asked for a seat and received the response 'It's not my f*&?ing problem that you're pregnant'."

- What's the point of mentioning this - is it really proof that ALL people are pregnant woman haters ? Nope.

I can get on a train with you every morning until Xmas and bet my house you won't get that response to politely broadcasting you want a seat because you need it. If that's your sole reason for not asking then you're setting yourself up for standing all day long. You can't reasonable expect people to have only you on their mind - this attitude really stinks. Being pregnant isn't actually an entitlement to be the queen of the carriage, it's a condition where you have extra needs - which you need to advise some people of, that's it.

Given the attitude I think you need a cab.

[KidKruger]

When I broke my back a few years ago and could walk properly again, if i was in pain too much on a train (often due to it jerking about) I'd ask for a seat on a train, it's no big deal.

I may have got a tut now and then but who cares I ain't trying to form a relationship, I just want the dang seat.

[JohnL]

I'm another who keeps a lookout for the badges.

If someone asks - there's a queue of men willing to move.

When it was packed like today - it would be difficult to get near the seats to ask.

[Bonfire2010]

When did I say that I was trying to prove that all people are pregnant women haters? All I was saying was that the incident I mention was something that happened to a good friend, and shook her up enough that it has put me off being overly vocal. That, plus the fact that I most definitely do not see myself as the 'queen of the carriage' and therefore entitled to a seat the minute I deign to step on to the train.

[Jeremy]

Think that was a bit harsh KK... just cos someone doesn't feel that comfortable directly asking people, doesn't mean they think they're queen of anything...