Travelling by train

RandallFlagg

Jalapeno said:

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

Just changed at Ely and things have taken a turn for the worse. It’s only a 2 carriage train that appears to have been built for people who are 3 foot tall. My knees are crunched into the seat in front and I am having to rub thighs with what looks like a socialist remainer next to me.

This is what happens when you privatise a public service and try to make it run as cheaply as possible, instead of just throwing money at it .

If you think for a second British Rail was better, think again.  BR along with all the utilities were cash starved for decades under governments of all hues.  Bureaucratic, Union controlled with strikes every other day, blocked toilets, unreliable and slow trains - it was awful

Well if Corbyn gets in and he nationalises power I look forward to a 32 hour week, dozens more staff, and joining my comrades on the picket line as we strike for a 28% pay rise and shut the power down to the British Broadband. You lot best get some candles in ready

axisus

I remember trains. I used to have to get one to work occasionally. Payed through the nose to stand like sardines for 25 minutes. There was one time during a very cold winter we had to swap trains, ours pulled in and around 100 people dashed over the bridge for the other train. Just as the first few got onto the platform (literally, people were running) the guard blew his whistle and all the doors shut. A furious crowd surrounded him shouting, he looked very worried. 20 minute wait in freezing conditions for the next train. Trains are sh*te and too expensive and some staff have the brain of a gibbon.

thecolourbox

RandallFlagg said:

First time on a train this morning since July 2018, travelling to boring meetings in Birmingham. 

I forgot how annoying it is. Some millennial student oik is sat behind me rustling and munching his food and slurping his coffee with the tinny buzz of music in his headphones.

I want to hit him with a shovel.

never again, car next time

Hang on this implies you were sat down I think? Are you sure you ended up at Birmingham? I last sat down on a train in 2015

Philly_Q

I like trains.  Not during rush hour, but I avoid rush hour - I go to work late and go back home again (very) late.

I like the fact that for 30 minutes, or an hour or whatever, I can sit and read a book and no-one's expecting me to be anywhere else or to be doing anything else.

I realise that those who interact with the world entirely through a smartphone can't appreciate any difference.

Kilgore

I don't take trains anymore. I couldn't get away from Michael Portillo. Every journey, there he was, banging on about Bradshaw's guide. 

octatonic

I caught the tube about two weeks ago- first time in 18 months as I was abroad.
Frankly public transport sucks in the UK- it was expensive, smelly and crowded.
Singapore and Geneva have much better public transport systems, much cheaper, on time and clean.

BeardyAndy

Had to get a train from from Southampton to Brighton, cost £35 quid return, took 3 hours, 2 trains and 2 busses! I'd use them more if they were affordable and practical but compared to the rest of the planet our transport system is a joke.

octatonic

BeardyAndy said:

Had to get a train from from Southampton to Brighton, cost £35 quid return, took 3 hours, 2 trains and 2 busses! I'd use them more if they were affordable and practical but compared to the rest of the planet our transport system is a joke.

I can fly to Geneva for about £35-40, albeit using a mixture of cash plus points.
Door to door is 4 hours if I don't have luggage to check in, which I mostly don't.

ToneControl

RandallFlagg said:

First time on a train this morning since July 2018, travelling to boring meetings in Birmingham. 

I forgot how annoying it is. Some millennial student oik is sat behind me rustling and munching his food and slurping his coffee with the tinny buzz of music in his headphones.

I want to hit him with a shovel.

never again, car next time

Just get a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones, it's the only way I can put up with public transport

springhead

Jalapeno said:

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

Just changed at Ely and things have taken a turn for the worse. It’s only a 2 carriage train that appears to have been built for people who are 3 foot tall. My knees are crunched into the seat in front and I am having to rub thighs with what looks like a socialist remainer next to me.

This is what happens when you privatise a public service and try to make it run as cheaply as possible, instead of just throwing money at it .

If you think for a second British Rail was better, think again.  BR along with all the utilities were cash starved for decades under governments of all hues.  Bureaucratic, Union controlled with strikes every other day, blocked toilets, unreliable and slow trains - it was awful

I think it has a different set of problems now.  Privatisation has split it up into lots of train companies trying to run a service when someone else owns and is responsible for the tracks and signals.  Bonkers.

Roland

On Monday I sat on a train as we sped past queuing traffic on the M1. It was more spacious and quieter than the aeroplane I’d arrived on. I could probably find something to moan about, but I’ve commuted in several countries and they all have their pros and cons.

Snags

Pfft, they were a mature student if they were a millennial, you old fart

Trains: taking you from where you aren't to where you don't want to be at a time that doesn't suit you.

That said, I do like some train journeys. At standard "going to work" times going into London is just hell, as is doing a long commute to somewhere like Leeds. But outside of those times having a bit of space to think or read whilst travelling can be relatively pleasant, assuming I can find a seat that doesn't require me to break my legs to actually sit in it.

TTony

Roland said:

On Monday I sat on a train as we sped past queuing traffic on the M1. 

Trains should stay on their tracks.

thecolourbox

My train journey is only 13 minutes each way, once you're on the train. However they've been invariably delayed recently so that has  an led to an average increase of around 25 mins. But despite the supposedly short journey time it feels rather longer considering you share your personal space with three other people's armpits and have to "ride the surf" when the Train accelerates and brakes.

But even that is preferable to sitting on the seats (I think they still have seats?!) as they are usually disgusting, dirty feet marks on them or they smell of the BO the locals leave behind. Or worse, I saw one recently where a lady sat down and jumped straight back up because the seat was wet. And still warm. Nice

Haych

I commute almost daily by train.  The rail companies seems to treat customers with a healthy dose of contempt but unfortunately it is better than trying to get to the same place by car, unless it's in the school holidays in which case the car wins.

If the price of a rail ticket was reasonable I wouldn't mind so much but the pricing system is a joke.  A few weeks ago I went to Birmingham for a concert with my daughter.  From my local station the price was over £30 more expensive than catching the same train from the next station five miles along the same line!  How does that work?  It's mental.

Fishboy7

I commute daily on the train – about 40mins into London. 

 

Happily the trains are pretty reliable and frequent on my route.  

 

However, the displays of petty, childish behaviour from my follow commuters (mainly middle aged men) can be quite annoying, ………. or sometimes just amusing.     

Haych

Fishboy7 said:

I commute daily on the train – about 40mins into London. 

 

Happily the trains are pretty reliable and frequent on my route.  

 

However, the displays of petty, childish behaviour from my follow commuters (mainly middle aged men) can be quite annoying, ………. or sometimes just amusing.     

Yeah, I like it when you're waiting for the train at the end of the day, it pulls in, the doors open and the last disembarking passenger steps off.  Then it's like feeding time at the zoo, skin, teeth and hair flying everywhere as people can't get on fast enough!

drofluf

PSA For anyone on the 1632 out of Birmingham today. If you see someone get on carrying a shovel turn off your headphones, don't eat, don't drink and above all else don't rustle your newspaper. If you can hold your breath until you get to your destination even better. 

fields5069

I quite like trains. The company pays, I'm on a nice new GWR train, er... that's it.

thecolourbox

drofluf said:

PSA For anyone on the 1632 out of Birmingham today. If you see someone get on carrying a shovel turn off your headphones, don't eat, don't drink and above all else don't rustle your newspaper. If you can hold your breath until you get to your destination even better. 

You'll just leave him to stew if you do that