Unaccompied child on Amtrak???? ~ update pg 2

[Kimberle]

I have taken Amtrak and there is NO WAY I would allow an unaccompied child on a train. Period!

An FYI, I live near NYC and we have many commuter trains which are considered pretty "safe" by most people. I take them, as does my dh, very frequently. There was an incident a couple of weeks ago where a child was raped on the train. (The rapest was caught as there was an undercover cop on it as well, but not till after the crime was committed.)

Besides the safety issue, the trains only stop for a minute or two (most stations) and everyone hops out. Your child would have to know which stop to get out, and be able to carry his stuff.

 

[swanmom]

Please, please .......... don't do this. There's a big difference between a plane (where you can watch the kid go through the door, introduce them to the flight attendants and be sure that no one is getting off again until the end of the flight) and a train which makes many stops (which are often not in the best areas of towns with lots of strangers getting on and off - you don't even need a ticket to actually get onto a train at a stop as long as you get off again before it leaves !!!!) And I have to argue, as a teacher, that any kid that age (no matter how mature you think they are) can really misjudge a situation due to lack of experience.

 

[ducklite]

I agree, NO WAY, NO HOW!!!

I used to take Amtrack from Albany to NYC every other week, and there's lots of kooks on the train.

Do you maybe have a friend who could drive him and meet you halfway?

Anne

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

Besides the safety issue, the trains only stop for a minute or two (most stations) and everyone hops out.

So, just think, it some strange guy grabs your son and in 1 or 2 minutes, he is GONE! That's all it would take.

 

[piglet too]

Thank you all!! Like I posted earlier, we have decided not to do it. We will either have a friend meet us halfway, or just not stay for the weekend. The more and more I thought about it, the more scarred I was. I would never forgive myself if something happened to him.