antharro
Member
- Joined
- 20 Dec 2006
- Messages
- 604
So every week, I catch the 1935 Weymouth service from Waterloo. Every week, I stand where the 10th carriage (leading carriage when the train departs) will stop at the end of the platform. Every week, the 5 carriages from Portsmouth arrive, and the 5 carriages from Weymouth arrive and couple up to make up the 1935 service. I usually stand approximately half way down the length of the 10th carriage, so easily 15 feet from the end of the platform. I've done this for probably over a year now, sometimes by myself, sometimes with other regular passengers who like to be in the 10th carriage.
This week, as I stood and waited for the Weymouth half of the train to arrive, I was approached by a member of the station staff who asked me to move behind a lamp post about five feet further up the platform. I looked at him a bit bemused and asked why. First he said it was for safety reasons, to which I pointed out I was well within the yellow lines, a distance from the platform edge and there were no other people around. He said he knew that but could I move anyway to behind the lamp post. He was quite clear that the lamp post was where I should be standing. So I again asked him why, to which he muttered something about "standing there makes the other passengers uncomfortable". I looked down the platform - there were about 4 passengers waiting by the 5th coach of the Portsmouth train. Aside from that, the platform was deserted except for me and the guard.
He then moved to stand by the lamp post and asked me to move there. Still completely bemused, I did.
Someone care to tell me what that was about? There are no signs on that platform (11/12) saying people shouldn't stand in that area, no hatched lines, and where I was standing was approximately half way along where the 10th carriage stops, so I wasn't at the end of the platform.
I snapped a picture of where I was standing, which I'll upload later, still on the train now.
This week, as I stood and waited for the Weymouth half of the train to arrive, I was approached by a member of the station staff who asked me to move behind a lamp post about five feet further up the platform. I looked at him a bit bemused and asked why. First he said it was for safety reasons, to which I pointed out I was well within the yellow lines, a distance from the platform edge and there were no other people around. He said he knew that but could I move anyway to behind the lamp post. He was quite clear that the lamp post was where I should be standing. So I again asked him why, to which he muttered something about "standing there makes the other passengers uncomfortable". I looked down the platform - there were about 4 passengers waiting by the 5th coach of the Portsmouth train. Aside from that, the platform was deserted except for me and the guard.
He then moved to stand by the lamp post and asked me to move there. Still completely bemused, I did.
Someone care to tell me what that was about? There are no signs on that platform (11/12) saying people shouldn't stand in that area, no hatched lines, and where I was standing was approximately half way along where the 10th carriage stops, so I wasn't at the end of the platform.
I snapped a picture of where I was standing, which I'll upload later, still on the train now.