Trivia: unwritten etiquette as a railway passenger

[MotCO]

. Music and videos are fine as long as we can tell you are trying to be considerate (but airpods and headphones are preferred)

Provided there is not an audible boom boom boom.

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And be mindful of your telephone conversations... I don't object to people having using their phones, but some people are very loud! And moderate your language - your mate on the end of the phone might appreciate your effing and jeffing, but the rest of the carriage won't.

And don't give out your credit card details for the rest of the carriage to hear - it has happened on a train I was on. So stupid!

 

[DelayRepay]

And don't give out your credit card details for the rest of the carriage to hear - it has happened on a train I was on. So stupid!

It was actually a conversation I overheard on a bus, rather than a train, that prompted my comment. A loud passenger was on the phone having an argument with someone, possibly his partner. The whole bus heard him say 'It wasn't an affair, we only ... twice' Use your imagination to complete the blanks!

As an alternative, a nice one... The person sat opposite asked me to keep an eye on their stuff while they went to the buffet. Then kindly offered to bring a drink back for me. That's only happened once.

 

[E27007]

Doesn’t the byelaw cover getting on before allowing people to get off, rather than leaving an appropriate gap on the platform?

It is a bye-law, passengers disembarking have priority, a bye-law which is plain and simple common sense

 

[DaveB10780]

Or worse (and this also happens on buses) sitting on the outside seat of a pair, with your stuff on the window seat, to really try and put off anyone from sitting next to you...

When I used to travel to London on Virgin the number of people who had the window seat reserved then sat on outside in this manner was truly amazing.

 

[Ken H]

It is a bye-law, passengers disembarking have priority, a bye-law which is plain and simple common sense

Tube trains used to have signs by dooways saying let passengers off first.
Leeds buses had the conductor say 'lerremgerroff'

 

[DelayRepay]

It is a bye-law, passengers disembarking have priority, a bye-law which is plain and simple common sense

Should be an arrestable offence, and a top priority for BTP enforcement.

 

[py_megapixel]

*=obviously I mean the close button on the outside. I'm not encouraging people to do the Class 333 toilet sabotage trick.

The what??

 

[SargeNpton]

On trains that are full and standing, remove your backpack.

 

[E27007]

The what??

As the user exits the toilet compartrment, operating the close and lock door-function, the door remains locked until released by the Guard, who will be very unlikely to learn of the situation.

 

[AlterEgo]

Isn't that essentially obsolete. other than on heritage railways?

Almost but not quite. Night Riviera still has slam door stock.

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On trains that are full and standing, remove your backpack.

Yes this!!

 

[TFN]

The what??

I'm guessing it was the same on the 332 I used to work on, but the "close door" button on the inside was the same as lock.

So if you were leaving the toilet and closed the toilet door from the inside instead of out, it would be "engaged" with nobody in it.

 

[43096]

Similarly, the area with tip-up seats marked out for bicycles is, actually, for bicycles. Please don't sit there when there are other seats available.

To flip that on its head, bikes go in bike spaces and nowhere else. Not in vestibules, not blocking the doors. And if it is a “no bike” service it means just that.

 

[driverd]

I'm guessing it was the same on the 332 I used to work on, but the "close door" button on the inside was the same as lock.

So if you were leaving the toilet and closed the toilet door from the inside instead of out, it would be "engaged" with nobody in it.

Exactly this. Its quite a nice simplification for the user and reduces the risk of the door slowly sliding open to reveal an unsuspecting person donning far less clothing than they would normally be comfortable with on a train - but it does have its downside!

 

[Stampy]

Last week returning home from Manchester a 'lady' started doing a full acrylic nail job complete with adhesive, as well as running repairs to a heavily made up face. The nail adhesive was the stuff used in nail bars with full ventilation required, and yellow warning crosses on the bottles. The couple sat behind her complained, and she put it away, while pulling a face. I didnt get the fumes because of where I was sat, but that acrylic adhesive has a very pentrating smell and is hazardous.

What are the byelaws on this, if any?

Nail varnish is bad enough, that smells of acetone, which is the main solvent in it.

I had nearly the same on a train from Rugby to Lancaster last year....

A "hen party" got on at Stafford, and by Crewe they were ALL doing their hair and nails, the whole carriage STUNK of hair spray and nail polish..

Not to mention their 2 tables were swimming in spilt Prosecco

 

[ExRes]

In my cynical and actual experience any reference to 'passenger etiquette' should be in a new forum moderated by Enid Blyton

 

[Purple Train]

When the train pulls into the station, don't just stand there hammering the "door open" button from the moment it comes to a halt - wait until the door chime begins and the buttons flash, and the doors are unlocked.
Nearly everyone does it at my local station, and it really irritates me (although I must admit that most things in the world irritate me).

 

[Chorley Cake]

Haven't read rest of post yet. But if a solo traveller, don't sit at a table if the train is likely to be busy

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This ! As somebody who regularly travels with wife and two young children I find solo travellers sitting at a four seat table incredibly selfish.

 

[Clansman]

Should be a capital offence to eat an orange onboard a train. For some reason there's always one left over on any pull down table on every XC Voyager I've ever been on, stinking out the carriage in the process.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

On trains that are full and standing, remove your backpack.

Alternatively, if someone has a backpack on, give them room to manoeuvre. If it's a big backpack, trying to take it off in a crowded area will whack more people than just keeping it on.
It's a bit like those stickers on the backs of articulated lorries that say: "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you". Keep out of my blind-spot and you'll be fine.

 

[Railsigns]

Don't stick your used gum to the side of the seat or any other part of the train.

If you have a persistent cough, just stay at home.

Don't board the train while stinking of weed.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Sounds like we are collectively providing the source material so that an updated edition of the 2003 book "Pains on Trains" can be published!

View attachment 120743

Who'd have thought back in 2003 that the most anachronistic thing in that cover image would be the broadsheet newspaper?

 

[nw1]

From a blue-collar low-income working class upbringing, it was my Grammar School inspired aspiration to become middle class, in adulthood, a prosperous yet non-ostentatious lifestyle, of income, white collar dress , manners, nice house and car etc.
My observation of middle class children is they aspire to be working class, "yoof culture", arm sleeves of tattoos, foul language, Mockney / Gor Blimey accents, public dress of shorts T-shirts and flip-flops,
Our Society of today is simply a Race-to-the-Bottom, nothing more and nothing less.

One could consider this is a bit out-of-date though. Personally I don't have a problem with shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops as public dress: after all, if it's hot the first two are pretty much a must. Better that than sweating buckets in 30 degree temperatures in smart dress.

I don't really get the "aspiration to be middle-class". I do get the aspiration to have a good, well-paid, stable job of course - but that is different.

In the absence of special occasions, I always dress casually in public and if people have a problem with that, well it's their problem, not mine. Likewise if someone wants to wear a suit to go shopping, well again, let them. It's their choice.

Live and let live, I say.

 

[Merseysider]

When the train pulls into the station, don't just stand there hammering the "door open" button from the moment it comes to a halt - wait until the door chime begins and the buttons flash, and the doors are unlocked.
Nearly everyone does it at my local station, and it really irritates me (although I must admit that most things in the world irritate me).

In a similar vein, if you’re waiting to leave the train and there’s people behind you, push the bloody button when it lights up instead of daydreaming.

I’ve had to reach over people once or twice to push the button myself as they were completely oblivious... they may have also got an eye roll off me

 

[nw1]

Back to the subject in hand, though and mine is "don't use the fricking limited bike space for purposes other than to store bikes!" Almost had an argument with someone over that fairly recently.

 

[Purple Train]

In a similar vein, if you’re waiting to leave the train and there’s people behind you, push the bloody button when it lights up instead of daydreaming.

I’ve had to reach over people once or twice to push the button myself as they were completely oblivious... they may have also got an eye roll off me

I do agree with you. It particularly annoys me when people push past me (or someone else) to get to the front of the queue, and then dawdle over opening the doors...

(Now may or may not be the time to admit that I've often used my diminutive size to get the little childish thrill of pushing the button to open the doors even when I'm third or fourth in the queue to get off, which could qualify as an entry in this thread.)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Tube trains used to have signs by dooways saying let passengers off first.

They still do, but they tend to be on the doors themselves these days, as do most national rail trains - a leftover from the recent virus incident. It might be a good idea for them to print the bylaw number on these signs next time they renew them!

 

[Bantamzen]

In my cynical and actual experience any reference to 'passenger etiquette' should be in a new forum moderated by Enid Blyton

And Mary Whitehouse!

 

[grumblingalong]

Don't eat an egg sandwich while in a carriage.

Imagine the look on my face and those of my fellow travellers when, earlier this year, two ladies sat down in the rear first class of a London bound early morning Thameslink and proceeded to tuck into two freshly boiled eggs each, with toast. Didn't know whether to feel sick or admire them really.

 

[nw1]

Imagine the look on my face and those of my fellow travellers when, earlier this year, two ladies sat down in the rear first class of a London bound early morning Thameslink and proceeded to tuck into two freshly boiled eggs each, with toast. Didn't know whether to feel sick or admire them really.

This would be one of these things that wouldn't bother me, to be honest. Is it quite a recent thing, the dislike of other people eating snacks on the train? I'm sure back in the day people were a bit more relaxed about it, and back in the day also, many routes had a "Hot Buffet" of course.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I disagree. It's never acceptable or polite to play noise out of an electronic device that can be heard from a seat or two away.

Fixed that for you. Use headphones. There is and can be no excuse for this grossly antisocial and lazy behaviour, which is a Byelaw breach (if only the likes of Merseyrail's thugs would enforce that one!)

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And be mindful of your telephone conversations... I don't object to people having using their phones, but some people are very loud! And moderate your language - your mate on the end of the phone might appreciate your effing and jeffing, but the rest of the carriage won't.

And use your telephone as a telephone, not a speakerphone. If you don't want it by your ear, again, use headphones.