Why are the surroundings of train stations always so dangerous/bad?

r/

Hi! I visited most of the countries in Europe and even in my homecountry is always the same: The areas surrounding the train stations are always full of dodgy people or bad situations. Is there a obvious reason for this? Because I don’t get it

Comments

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  2. CryptoSlovakian Avatar

    Lots of people in one place, so lots of opportunities to grift or steal or enact whatever other nefarious intentions people might have.

  3. MeatloafingAround Avatar

    Because once they commit a crime, they can disappear into a crowd and go somewhere else easily.

  4. Secret_Divide_3030 Avatar

    Because stations and their surroundings cater to tourists and travellers from early in the morning until midnight. So there is always something to do in those areas which attracts people from all sorts.

  5. BigMax Avatar

    A few big reasons:

    1. If you’re begging (or scamming) people, your odds of getting something from someone are VERY small. So you need a lot of people. Train stations have a lot of new and different people coming by all the time.
    2. It’s public, and indoors. If you’re homeless… where can you go? Not many places. But you can go to the train station. It’s big, you can get lost in the crowd, not kicked out as quickly as most private businesses. You can usually find a bathroom, maybe find a leftover muffin on a table, etc. Shelter and heat are pretty important, and a LOT harder to find than you’d expect if you don’t have a home.
    3. It’s not THAT bad really, it’s just that some of us are only exposed to certain parts of society at a place like that, right? They are often transfers to bus routes too. So plenty of people who never have to interact with middle to lower to poverty classes are integrated with them at the train station. So it’s not a “bad area”, you just don’t feel comfortable near those people, because of the semi sheltered life you live. (Obviously that one doesn’t apply to everyone.)
  6. KyorlSadei Avatar

    Because living near or working near train stations are horrible noise pollution. This matters because it forces the cost to live near one down a bunch. Houses become cheap and the people who live there are usually poorer. Leading to a rise in desperate and more unruly people moving in.

  7. DistinctBook Avatar

    Commuter rail here it is pretty safe. The subway um no.

    Right near the subway station in my hometown the parking lot has a lot of used needles.

  8. BaronMerc Avatar

    High public area makes it easy to pick pocket and get away, if they’re pick pocketing they probably don’t own a car

    Or they’re drunk or high and at least have enough brain power to know driving would be a bad idea but not enough to know harassing people is a bad idea

  9. Harmony_Mabel Avatar

    Train stations attract a lot of people coming and going, including those looking for easy targets, panhandlers, or people in transient situations. The high foot traffic and anonymity make it easier for crime or sketchy activity to happen, which is why the areas around stations often feel unsafe.

  10. Sparkle_Rott Avatar

    Many stations were put in during the coal and steam era which meant a huge amount of grunge and soot all over the surrounding areas. Trains are also noisy.
    So stations were placed in poor areas because those people didn’t have the power to complain.