Justin Smith
Member
I've noticed more and more personal stereos in "Quiet coaches" which are anything but quiet. On a train back from Leicester today I could hear one from 4 rows back !
Which begs the question what is a "Quiet coach" ?
What constitutes unacceptable noise ?
Most significantly, how do guards (or train managers or whatever they're called these days) get people to turn down loud personal stereos when it's a subjective matter as to whether they're too loud ?
In fact how often do guards/train managers actually ask people in Quiet coaches to be quiet ? ! ?
What is the advice given to guards/train managers on this subject ?
I sent an E mail to the three train companies which I would normally use (EM trains, EC trains & XC trains) asking about their attitude to noise in the "Quiet coach" and in particular overspill from personal stereos.
This is answer from East Coast trains :
We intend the Quiet Coach, Coach B, to meet the needs of customers who want to work or relax quietly during their journey. Our aspiration for the Quiet Coach, based on the views we have gathered from customers, is that it should be ‘library quiet’, as to ban all noise would be impossible to enforce. This does mean that we ask people to use electronic equipment in silent mode, and mobile phone users to conduct conversations in the corridors at the end of each coach. In regards to personal stereos, they should be used quietly so other passengers should not really be able to hear any noise.
We do ask customers to be considerate to the needs of others, but unfortunately this is not always the case. We would normally expect our Customer Service Managers to deal with the individuals concerned once a complaint has been made to the staff by a customer, or if staff can see clearly hear excessive noise such as loudly singing, shouting etc. If such an incident happens again, I would advise you to contact a member of staff who will take appropriate action.
This is the reply from Cross Country Trains :
Although our train managers will ask a customer to keep the noise down in a Quiet Carriage there are no railway by laws to back up our policy. It all really relies on the courtesy of customers respecting the wishes of everyone else in the carriage.
It is sometimes possible to re-locate customers into another carriage, however the train manager can only request this of the passenger and in no way force them to move. The problem becomes even greater when there are large groups travelling together. It would be difficult to find alternative seating whereby they can all travel together. However I do appreciate that you personally booked the quiet carriage to enjoy a peaceful journey
As an aside, I thought there actually was some railway bye law about playing music on a train or station.
This is the reply from East Midland Trains :
The quiet coach should be a quiet coach. However, it is up to the Train Staff to manage the noise levels and if somebody does have head phones on and there is an over spill of music that is particularly noisy then our staff should ask them to turn the music down or ask them to move into a different coach.
Which begs the question what is a "Quiet coach" ?
What constitutes unacceptable noise ?
Most significantly, how do guards (or train managers or whatever they're called these days) get people to turn down loud personal stereos when it's a subjective matter as to whether they're too loud ?
In fact how often do guards/train managers actually ask people in Quiet coaches to be quiet ? ! ?
What is the advice given to guards/train managers on this subject ?
I sent an E mail to the three train companies which I would normally use (EM trains, EC trains & XC trains) asking about their attitude to noise in the "Quiet coach" and in particular overspill from personal stereos.
This is answer from East Coast trains :
We intend the Quiet Coach, Coach B, to meet the needs of customers who want to work or relax quietly during their journey. Our aspiration for the Quiet Coach, based on the views we have gathered from customers, is that it should be ‘library quiet’, as to ban all noise would be impossible to enforce. This does mean that we ask people to use electronic equipment in silent mode, and mobile phone users to conduct conversations in the corridors at the end of each coach. In regards to personal stereos, they should be used quietly so other passengers should not really be able to hear any noise.
We do ask customers to be considerate to the needs of others, but unfortunately this is not always the case. We would normally expect our Customer Service Managers to deal with the individuals concerned once a complaint has been made to the staff by a customer, or if staff can see clearly hear excessive noise such as loudly singing, shouting etc. If such an incident happens again, I would advise you to contact a member of staff who will take appropriate action.
This is the reply from Cross Country Trains :
Although our train managers will ask a customer to keep the noise down in a Quiet Carriage there are no railway by laws to back up our policy. It all really relies on the courtesy of customers respecting the wishes of everyone else in the carriage.
It is sometimes possible to re-locate customers into another carriage, however the train manager can only request this of the passenger and in no way force them to move. The problem becomes even greater when there are large groups travelling together. It would be difficult to find alternative seating whereby they can all travel together. However I do appreciate that you personally booked the quiet carriage to enjoy a peaceful journey
As an aside, I thought there actually was some railway bye law about playing music on a train or station.
This is the reply from East Midland Trains :
The quiet coach should be a quiet coach. However, it is up to the Train Staff to manage the noise levels and if somebody does have head phones on and there is an over spill of music that is particularly noisy then our staff should ask them to turn the music down or ask them to move into a different coach.
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