Pains on Trains

[GodAtum]

Yes, you're absolutely right, there's no possible other reason why someone over 6' crammed into seat with almost no legroom would have a strong preference for an aisle seat.

No excuse for not standing up to let someone in, though.

I've done that as I had a suitcase with me . This was on a 2 seat row behind a 3 seat row.

Some of the public should have to undertake suitcase training, a few years ago I was stood behind an old guy just getting onto a steep esculator going down at New York Penn Station, he lost the grip on the suitcase and it flew down the the full length of the esculator thank goodness no one was ahead of him. It was about 05.00am in the morning. Some Amtrak Police Officers came running over to see what was going on

I would probably do something silly at 5am!

I wish my job paid me danger money for travelling after a certain time in the evening. Sometimes when I just want to get home after a long day at work there are yobs and drunked people on the train which makes me feel unsafe.

 

[stut]

GodAtum, do you think you could publish your travel plans somewhere on here?

I've almost never experienced any of the things you've described on here, and I travel by train, all over, on a very regular basis. So anything that can help me maintain that status would be very welcome.

 

[LE Greys]

GodAtum, do you think you could publish your travel plans somewhere on here?

I've almost never experienced any of the things you've described on here, and I travel by train, all over, on a very regular basis. So anything that can help me maintain that status would be very welcome.

It's happened to me after football matches (and the Boat Race on one noteable occasion). The various parties going to Newcastle on a Friday night are pretty bad as well.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'm sure I read in a paper somewhere that there used to be a diagonal plate at the bottom of London Underground escallators on the assumption that it was easier to step off on these (the idea being that as you stood on one leg on the escallator, your other leg would already be hovering over the diagonal metal plate ready to start walking). For some reason, this made it easier for people to stand on the right.

Most people these days ( myself included ) start walking forwards as soon as the escalators level out and just carry on walking straight off the end of it. Having said that, I did observe someone recently ( on an adjacent escalator in a multiple bank ) who was quite correctly walking down on the left stop suddenly when it levelled out; unfortunately the people behind him were not expecting him to do that...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Is it just that most people are right-handed, so prefer to hold on to the right hand side of the escallator, thus keeping their left hand free to carry a compulsory dog.

I'm right handed but prefer to hold on with my left hand and carry anything that needs carrying in my right hand.( Before anyone asks - of course I do stand on the right as per the rules on those occasions when I am not walking up / down the escalator. )

 

[johnnychips]

On my first visit to Waverley for years last July, I and my school party were delighted to watch a man, at four in the afternoon, try to walk up the escalator the wrong way. Obviously drunk, he fixedly ignored those correctly coming down; trying harder and harder, he finally made it after seven minutes - we timed it.

 

[hstmatt]

What anoyed me was when i was on a FTPE from Liverpool lime street to Man pic we were traveling first class and it was nice and peaceful untill south parkway then 4 women boarded the train sat in first class and kept talking and they were talking quite loud. It wrecked the jorney for me.
And if that wasnt bad enought on the way back we watched one man walking through first class 10+ times. I have no idea what he was upto.

 

[Requeststop]

What I don't understand with the Underground is why it is "stand on the right" on escalators but passageways are signed as (and escalators usually arranged as) "walk on the left". Surely it would make sense if slow moving people are standing on the right fro them to then walk to the right, allowing fast moving people to overtake up the middle/on the left?

It's because the left hand is considered to be dirty in many societies, because it was the hand used to clean a "sensitive" area of your body after ablutions and before there was toilet paper. (There now you know)

By standing on the right you hold onto the rail with your right hand - the "clean" hand. So others also using the rail can be assured that nothing dirty has been passed by others.

Seeing some of the hygiene standards of some I'd think that it wouldn't make much of a difference these days.

 

[jopsuk]

I seriously doubt that's why it was adopted on the underground. After all, on non-moving stairs you're encouraged to walk on the left, and they have handrails- these aren't for decoration You're correct about "many societies"- but not British society, not for a long time anyway

 

[island]

It's because the left hand is considered to be dirty in many societies, because it was the hand used to clean a "sensitive" area of your body after ablutions and before there was toilet paper. (There now you know)

By standing on the right you hold onto the rail with your right hand - the "clean" hand. So others also using the rail can be assured that nothing dirty has been passed by others.

Seeing some of the hygiene standards of some I'd think that it wouldn't make much of a difference these days.

Agree with jopsuk; you might be overthinking this one.

 

[amcluesent]

FOllowing up my previous post, doing PBO-EDB today and thought I'd get some FC peace in K. Nope, 4yo girl on at York who can't stop yakking\screeching, loud enough to defeat my in-ear Ulimate Ears. FFS.

ANd yes, I'm proud to be a grumpy old curmudgeon!

 

[bAzTNM]

I had the worst ticket examiner ever sometime this week on a train back from Lanark. Quite unbelievable behaviour to an old woman that I would report if I had somewhere to send in a report.

Having a horrible ticket examiner can often ruin my train riding experience.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I had the worst ticket examiner ever sometime this week on a train back from Lanark. Quite unbelievable behaviour to an old woman that I would report if I had somewhere to send in a report.

ScotRail Customer Relations
PO BOX 7030, Fort William, PH33 6WX

Tel: 0845 601 5929

Email: [email protected]

 

[transmanche]

I'm sure I read in a paper somewhere that there used to be a diagonal plate at the bottom of London Underground escallators on the assumption that it was easier to step off on these (the idea being that as you stood on one leg on the escallator, your other leg would already be hovering over the diagonal metal plate ready to start walking). For some reason, this made it easier for people to stand on the right.

Modern escalators have grooves on the steps and there is a 'comb' at the end of the escalator to ensure nothing gets trapped as you step off.

Early escalators had smooth steps, so the diagonal end forced you to step off at the side of the escalator instead. You can just about see in this illustration.

 

[tsr]

Modern escalators have grooves on the steps and there is a 'comb' at the end of the escalator to ensure nothing gets trapped as you step off..

Ah, yes. The "comb". Commonly used to catch the numerous surplus copies of the Metro newspaper.

 

[Michael.Y]

Classic case of passengers/customers not taking responsibility for their own journey today:

We arrived early at Crewe with about a 10 minute wait before our departure time. There was a crew change, so the new guard decided while we were stationary to do a full ticket check. I hovered around the back door, taking some much needed gulps of cool fresh (well, as fresh as Crewe Station near the exhaust of a 175 will allow) air.

Anyway, a man came wandering over to me and asked where platform 9 was. I pointed towards 9 (we were in on 6) and its occupant, the ATW service to Holyhead and asked "Are you going towards North Wales sir?" He said "No, I'm going to Wigan." I said "That train won't take you to Wigan sir, it's a service to Chester and North Wales." He said "Well where's my train?"

He produced a printed internet schedule which showed that his train left in one minute and had a VT prefix.

I said "Well sir I can safely say that your service will be a Virgin Train and it's leaving in one minute." He said "Well where is it?" I said "I'm afraid I don't know sir, I don't work here at Crewe station, you may have to check with the ticket office." He said "I don't have time for that." I said "Well I'm sorry sir, but the only information I can tell you is that the train on platform 9 definitely won't take you to Wigan, your train leaves from another platform."

With that he wandered off. Seconds later I heard a loud, shouted "F F S". He came sauntering back round the corner and yelled at me "It's just gone now WHILE YOU WERE TALKING."

So, if I've got this right, he's blaming ME for his not being on time for his train and not bothering to find out where his train was until the last minute, and for me giving him accurate and pertinent information that the train he thought was his wasn't? Classy.

 

[martin2345uk]

How the hell do you keep your cool in these situations!!! What a moron!!

 

[Michael.Y]

How the hell do you keep your cool in these situations!!! What a moron!!

12 years of working in customer-facing service roles helps; I've been blamed for taxi companies not arriving within 5 minutes at a hotel before, I've been blamed for Kingsmill not delivering enough bread during the petrol crisis at a supermarket, and my favourites were the library customers who failed to spot the date their book was due back stamped in the front, and who thought we should ring everyone the day before their book was due back. You have to just realise that there are a certain breed of people who will always fail to take responsibility for their own actions when things go wrong, and who will always then lash out at the nearest uniform, claiming that it is your responsibility, not their own, to make sure things go right and, more importantly, to move heaven and earth in order for their demands to be met. There's nothing you can do in that situation to appease them as logic and reason do not apply.

 

[LE Greys]

12 years of working in customer-facing service roles helps; I've been blamed for taxi companies not arriving within 5 minutes at a hotel before, I've been blamed for Kingsmill not delivering enough bread during the petrol crisis at a supermarket, and my favourites were the library customers who failed to spot the date their book was due back stamped in the front, and who thought we should ring everyone the day before their book was due back. You have to just realise that there are a certain breed of people who will always fail to take responsibility for their own actions when things go wrong, and who will always then lash out at the nearest uniform, claiming that it is your responsibility, not their own, to make sure things go right and, more importantly, to move heaven and earth in order for their demands to be met. There's nothing you can do in that situation to appease them as logic and reason do not apply.

Sometimes people are just ready to lash out at anything or anyone. I'm guilty of it myself. The trouble is that all you are really doing is kicking yourself hard, and it sounds like someone else is accusing you of being an idiot (which is true, but you don't want to hear it). If it's just plain bad luck (late bus or something) then even booting a lamp post is some sort of relief. I sometimes think half the vandalism at bus stops is just plain frustration. I'm sorry if I've had a go at anyone on here for no reason, I can't help being a bit of a firebrand sometimes, something in my nature.

 

[Sapphire Blue]

I'm right handed but prefer to hold on with my left hand and carry anything that needs carrying in my right hand.( Before anyone asks - of course I do stand on the right as per the rules on those occasions when I am not walking up / down the escalator. )

You could always turn around and travel backwards?

 

[trainophile]

I hope that Wigan geezer had to wait HOURS, and pay for a new ticket. Moron.

 

[Michael.Y]

I hope that Wigan geezer had to wait HOURS, and pay for a new ticket. Moron.

Next train was in exactly one hour.

 

[trainophile]

Next train was in exactly one hour.

Pity .

I thought of this thread this morning while waiting to board at a station (won't say where in case the offender reads this site). Woman ranting on to her companion about having boarded a train to Cornwall where there "wasn't a single seat available", and promptly complaining to the train manager as to how did he expect her to travel for six hours standing up, with two children.

My train arrived before I heard the outcome, but I did wonder what exactly she expected the TM to do. Put three seated passengers off the train? If she'd have had the foresight to reserve seats she wouldn't have had the problem in the first place. Some people :roll:.

 

[Michael.Y]

I highly doubt ALL of those passengers were on the train for ALL of the journey.

 

[tsr]

I highly doubt ALL of those passengers were on the train for ALL of the journey.

I agree.

Also, other than disrupted services or packed rush hour services departing large towns and cities, there is generally going to be a seat in the part of the train that, on average, is the furthest from each of the convenient entrances at each busy station that it calls at. Some people, however, find it exceptionally hard to actually look for a seat, something that occasionally does involve walking between carriages*, or even ask someone to move their shopping off a seat that is otherwise empty.

*Yes, all right, I know what a 153 is... and tube stock...

 

[SS4]

My train arrived before I heard the outcome, but I did wonder what exactly she expected the TM to do. Put three seated passengers off the train? If she'd have had the foresight to reserve seats she wouldn't have had the problem in the first place. Some people :roll:.

In all probability that's exactly what she expected the TM to do or at the very least force them to stand. She sounds like one of those people to whom having kids is carte blanche to be completely anti-social

 

[table38]

...or even ask someone to move their shopping off a seat that is otherwise empty.

A woman on Saturday had a go at reserving a whole table of four to herself by sitting in the aisle seat, and putting her coat and bag on the two seats opposite

Her technique worked quite well as people just filled up the other available seats rather than ask if any of "her" seats were free.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Ah, yes. The "comb". Commonly used to catch the numerous surplus copies of the Metro newspaper.

I'd get Network Rail to sort it out at Euston, nearly broke my foot on New Year's eve there after my lace got caught in the end. I'll show it everyone at RailFest!
Seriously though, I believe action is being taken with adding combs and stuff.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Should have done your shoelace up then!

 

[island]

Pity .

I thought of this thread this morning while waiting to board at a station (won't say where in case the offender reads this site). Woman ranting on to her companion about having boarded a train to Cornwall where there "wasn't a single seat available", and promptly complaining to the train manager as to how did he expect her to travel for six hours standing up, with two children.

My train arrived before I heard the outcome, but I did wonder what exactly she expected the TM to do. Put three seated passengers off the train? If she'd have had the foresight to reserve seats she wouldn't have had the problem in the first place. Some people :roll:.

Upgrade them to first, I assume.

 

[317666]

People who get on with pushchairs and bikes and just prop them up against the door, instead of using the designated space for them. All very well until the doors open on the other side of the train. Then if the guard asks them to move it to the designated bike/pushchair area, they start complaining...