Train intolerance
Discussion
Another train-based observation .. sorry, i guess it connects the various parts of my day. I'm not sure it's the slightly cold damp weather, or because the cost of a Waitrose basket has gone up in recent times, but a couple of incidents this week on my daily commute. The stiff upper lip is no more.
Yesterday morning - on SWT train to Waterloo. A woman (Russian i think) who was reading out her Blackberry to a friend on an adjacent seat. It was a tad annoying but unfortunately there isn't Train Etiquette unlike in other civilised nations (e.g. Japan) and London is full of annoying loud people. To my surprise a bloke sitting next to her friend, kills her monologue in its tracks. "Look, can't you just give the phone to your friend so we don't have to listen your dribble!". I'm thinking "woah mate .. a tad harsh .. it's not illegal to talk in a train carriage!" but then again "yeah, shut the f8ck up you boring wench!". No one intervenes, and slightly embarassed Russian lady is mumbling quietly to her friend for the rest of the silent journey to Waterloo.
Yesterday evening - on SWT train again after a session in Soho. Not that sort of session. Late night train journeys are always fraught with dangers - particularly annoying groups of drunks or mental women who want to start a conversation with you. As the train is about to leave, a teenager (sort of prick you get at Five n Lime in Guildford, albeit if he was a few years older) gets on the carriage. The short-lived tranquility in Carriage 6 is now interrupted by a giggly conversation - presumably with his girlfriend, because he's trying to act all cool 'n' s
t. Apparently quoting bits from 'South Park' is still cool. Particularly annoying, is that after the end of every fk1ng sentence he has to shout and repeat the last few words - presumably because the slag on the other end of the conversation is in some horrible loud bar, like Five n Lime. It's quite unbearable and i'm trying to shut out his rants .. or imagine how his acne-ridden face would contort as i smash my now pus-covered Ultrabook into it whilst screaming "can't you just end this fk1ng phone call you irritating ball bag!". Again to the rescue, arrives middle-aged woman with her elderly mum (who unfortunately is sitting right in front of the Inbetweener and visibly shrinking into her seat every time he utters a word). I'm impressed. She walks over to the mouthy one, towering over him and asks him to quieten down a bit. He says sorry but continues his ranting at a lower volume. By the time i get off, most of occupants are giving him Carol Beer looks.
Yesterday morning - on SWT train to Waterloo. A woman (Russian i think) who was reading out her Blackberry to a friend on an adjacent seat. It was a tad annoying but unfortunately there isn't Train Etiquette unlike in other civilised nations (e.g. Japan) and London is full of annoying loud people. To my surprise a bloke sitting next to her friend, kills her monologue in its tracks. "Look, can't you just give the phone to your friend so we don't have to listen your dribble!". I'm thinking "woah mate .. a tad harsh .. it's not illegal to talk in a train carriage!" but then again "yeah, shut the f8ck up you boring wench!". No one intervenes, and slightly embarassed Russian lady is mumbling quietly to her friend for the rest of the silent journey to Waterloo.
Yesterday evening - on SWT train again after a session in Soho. Not that sort of session. Late night train journeys are always fraught with dangers - particularly annoying groups of drunks or mental women who want to start a conversation with you. As the train is about to leave, a teenager (sort of prick you get at Five n Lime in Guildford, albeit if he was a few years older) gets on the carriage. The short-lived tranquility in Carriage 6 is now interrupted by a giggly conversation - presumably with his girlfriend, because he's trying to act all cool 'n' s
t. Apparently quoting bits from 'South Park' is still cool. Particularly annoying, is that after the end of every fk1ng sentence he has to shout and repeat the last few words - presumably because the slag on the other end of the conversation is in some horrible loud bar, like Five n Lime. It's quite unbearable and i'm trying to shut out his rants .. or imagine how his acne-ridden face would contort as i smash my now pus-covered Ultrabook into it whilst screaming "can't you just end this fk1ng phone call you irritating ball bag!". Again to the rescue, arrives middle-aged woman with her elderly mum (who unfortunately is sitting right in front of the Inbetweener and visibly shrinking into her seat every time he utters a word). I'm impressed. She walks over to the mouthy one, towering over him and asks him to quieten down a bit. He says sorry but continues his ranting at a lower volume. By the time i get off, most of occupants are giving him Carol Beer looks.SWT = South West Trains
Edited by fido on Thursday 25th October 11:49
Agreed. There are rules commuters must understand.
Rule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
Rule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
Damn, i forgot to mention people (again mostly women) who cross their legs and rub their shoes against clean ironed trousers. They didn't want you to take that space next to or opposite them, and so turn their efforts to making you uncomfortable instead. Well i've started to retaliate with my rucksack. 2-0 to Fido.
Podie said:
Why sit opposite me and steal what little legroom there is? :grr:
Yes, agreed. But i think the problem arrives when another person takes the third seat. And someone doesn't want to remove their luggage from the 'reserved' seat or move their frikin' legs out of the way. B8tches. There is also the problem of the 4th person who is so unfeasibly large that one of you is going to get DVT by the end of their journey .. but that's another thread.ewenm said:
Podie said:
If there are 4 seats - 2 opposite 2, then if I sit by the window the other person should sit on the opposite side on the aisle side.
Why sit opposite me and steal what little legroom there is? :grr:
Presumably only in a relatively empty train...Why sit opposite me and steal what little legroom there is? :grr:
I had one on Eurostar back in September - a 4/5 year old kid was singing exceptionally loudly for the trip.
Eventually he got into singing "I believe in angels" (and only that line, with a gap of a few seconds between each rendition) repeatedly.
Most of us thought it was quite funny and endearing - but after about 3 minutes, one guy said to the kid "You know you can believe in agents in silence."
The father then told the kid to be quiet, and, to his credit, he was for the rest of the journey.
Eventually he got into singing "I believe in angels" (and only that line, with a gap of a few seconds between each rendition) repeatedly.
Most of us thought it was quite funny and endearing - but after about 3 minutes, one guy said to the kid "You know you can believe in agents in silence."
The father then told the kid to be quiet, and, to his credit, he was for the rest of the journey.
tribbles said:
I had one on Eurostar back in September - a 4/5 year old kid was singing exceptionally loudly for the trip.
Eventually he got into singing "I believe in angels" (and only that line, with a gap of a few seconds between each rendition) repeatedly.
Most of us thought it was quite funny and endearing - but after about 3 minutes, one guy said to the kid "You know you can believe in agents in silence."
The father then told the kid to be quiet, and, to his credit, he was for the rest of the journey.
Reminds me of the Dara o'brien sketch about kids on trains - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxQhLZ5bMyQEventually he got into singing "I believe in angels" (and only that line, with a gap of a few seconds between each rendition) repeatedly.
Most of us thought it was quite funny and endearing - but after about 3 minutes, one guy said to the kid "You know you can believe in agents in silence."
The father then told the kid to be quiet, and, to his credit, he was for the rest of the journey.
BlackVanDyke said:
It's something of a symptom of how long I've been a Pistonhead that I can't get past SWT standing for snakes with t*ts...
I was just about to say the same thing...I saw SWT, read snakes with t*ts and then read the next word and realised SWT was actually South West Trains 
Podie said:
Agreed. There are rules commuters must understand.
Rule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
fRule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
k those rules - it's not your train.Rule 6 - travel on public transport with the rest of the scum, accept you're not going to be as comfortable as if you were a little less tight and drove yourself to work.
Seriously, WTF do you expect, getting on public transport? The public are a vast bunch of
s. I'd pay £15/gallon of petrol to be able to avoid public transport. Late night trains a fraught with peril. The most annoying one of late was after a very long haul at the office. The carriage contained myself, another gentlemen around my age and a couple of girls (maybe a couple of years younger - early 20s I guess). Instead of leaving the drowsy looking man be, they seemed intent on getting me and this other bloke to compete for their attention - the fact I wasn't interested in bolstering their vanity seemed to annoy them.
Also - middle aged, respectable, well to do looking man on the train last night - If you have a cold, sir, blow your fking nose. Little sniffs every thirty seconds are apocalyptically annoying.
Also - middle aged, respectable, well to do looking man on the train last night - If you have a cold, sir, blow your f
king nose. Little sniffs every thirty seconds are apocalyptically annoying. OpulentBob said:
Podie said:
Agreed. There are rules commuters must understand.
Rule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
fRule 1 - luggage goes in the luggage rack. Not on seats and not in front of your feet.
Rule 2 - mobile phones should be seen, not heard. Loud conversations involving "I'm on the train" and "I might lose you if we go through a tunnel" are not permitted. Keypad tones should be silent when texting.
Rule 3 - Reservations are not required. Regulars on specific trains have their own place to sit or stand. Do not take other people's space.
Rule 4 - no stinky food to be consumed.
Rule 5 - It rains outside, not inside. If you are soaking, then remove your coat before placing your fat ass on the seat next to me. I don't want to get wet.
k those rules - it's not your train.Rule 6 - travel on public transport with the rest of the scum, accept you're not going to be as comfortable as if you were a little less tight and drove yourself to work.
Seriously, WTF do you expect, getting on public transport? The public are a vast bunch of
s. I'd pay £15/gallon of petrol to be able to avoid public transport. It's not a serious thread! FFS, chill out and join in the banter.
Jeez...
at this thread!Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff