Travelling by train

[Yellow Fang]

Whenever I think of the woes associated with private transport: the horrific expense, the digging up of the countryside, the fragmentation of communities, the pollution, the squandering of non-renewable resourses, the traffic jams, and death and injury on the roads, I keep thinking that, next to cycling, what a civilised way of transport is taking the train. Except for other passengers. If it's not young people, it's even younger people. If it's not them, it's their even more irritating parents. If it's not any of them, it's someone else who still manages to irritate me, with their loud, inane conversations. Anyway, I was wondering which device I would enjoy using most on my fellow passengers. Is it:

1. James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 ejector seat (@4:00), or
2. Blofelt's electric chair (@10:25)

 

[chillyuk]

I would like a device that would block out mobile phone signals at the press of a button.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

The train CAN be brilliant.

Cycling helped me break the car habit, I go to football (home games, in Hull) on the train, pedal to the station, lock the bike up, get on the train, listen to the radio and bury myself in a good book, or talk football to other supporters on the train(be they home or away fans). I find it much more pleasurable than driving there and it's just as quick

I do HATE going anywhere on the Birmingham -> Bristol line though. EVERY time I do, a train is cancelled and 2 trainloads end up shoved onto a 3-carriage meatwagon

Thankfully I rarely do that route...

 

[hackbike 666]

I rarely travel on the tube....Luckily the only trip I do (associated with work) occasionally is from Wimbledon Park to Wimbledon...one stop,so not too bad.

 

[ianrauk]

Anyone who put's their feet on train seats should have said feet hacked off at the ankles with a rusty old saw. Inconsiderate tossers.

 

[ufkacbln]

I would like a device that would block out mobile phone signals at the press of a button.

Sorted

I love conversations on public transport...

In Paulsgrove there were two local chavettes on the bus.

One was bemoaning that her boyfriend was being unreasonable for dumping her - just because she had "slept with"* three of his friends at a party..... her friend was of the opinion that he was being unreasonably possessive and needed to "get over it"



* not the expression used

 

[Glow worm]

I would like a device that would block out mobile phone signals at the press of a button.

Get one of these mobile jammer
I wouldn't get on a train without it. It's just fantastic.
These are cheaper....I'm on the trai.....er...hullo...

 

[Tinuts]

I would like a device that would block out mobile phone signals at the press of a button.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28713


A bargain at $28.97. Completely illegal in the UK, of course, but oh, what fun!


Now we also need a device to silence those godawful tinny headphones. One a bit more subtle than a pair of scissors!

 

[Tinuts]

Anyone who put's their feet on train seats should have said feet hacked off at the ankles with a rusty old saw. Inconsiderate tossers.

Why stop at the feet. Save the tax payer some money and continue on to the head. Death can be terminal.

 

[rosscbrown]

Well I was on the train tonight. Three people were sitting in the cycle space and the train Guard moved them on to make room for my cycle. That was nice because cycles do have priority (on the grounds of safety) in the cycle space area - the fold down seats are just a fringe benefit for when the area is not needed.

Anyway two of the passengers decided to complain for the entire journey and made me feel really uncomfortable. Worst journey ever. To make matters worse I had a First Class ticket but wasn't able to make to most of it as I wanted to stay with the bike - they acted like the sort of people who might damage the bike if given an opportunity!

A sad day indeed :-(

 

[BrumJim]

I like trains. They give me a job, which pays the bills and for bike bits too.

 

[ianrauk]

I like trains too Hackers, especially South Eastern Trains. Their guards and drivers are spot on.
It's the great unwashed that we don't like.

And c'mon.. tell me, how many times have you have pulled into a station at rush hour and stopped a foot further up the platform to pee those passenger who stand in the same spot day after day after day after day..

 

[John the Monkey]

I take the train for part of the journey every day - I just read my book.

Given that selfish behaviour on the bike part of my commute puts my life at risk, a few people being a bit loud sometimes seems trivial.

On the people in the bike space thing, I usually just stand with the bike, if the guard's ok with it. If more people with bikes get on, and we'd block the aisle, I ask the sitters to move.

 

[Arch]

I like trains too Hackers, especially South Eastern Trains. Their guards and drivers are spot on.

That's not Hackers, but I make the same mistake a lot too, something about the avatar....

I'm usually on a train for the long haul - 5 hours to Winchester is the longest. I'd like a sort of stasis pod, so that I could get in, sleep, and get off at the other end (preferably with some sort of auto-change at Reading instead of having to wake up and get off.

I just plug the MP3 in to my ears, and look out of the window most of the time. I'm not too bothered about phone conversations, it's when someone decides to try out every ringtone it gets annoying.

Or at a 4 seat set, if the person opposite is taking up all the legroom (with legs and/or bags...)

On the way back from Leicester on Sunday, there was a family of orthodox Jews (with ringlets), and for some reason the 4 boys were running up and down the aisle to the next carriage the whole time until I changed at Sheffield, about 90 minutes. That got a bit wearing. (I only mention the ringlets and hence religion because that was how I was sure it was the same 4 boys).

 

[Soltydog]

I like trains. They give me a job, which pays the bills and for bike bits too.

ditto