Busy or quiet?

[Purple Orange]

Do you prefer a carriage with relatively few passengers in it, or do you prefer to see it full of people, getting confidence that the industry is thriving?

 

[Trainfan2019]

Quiet carriages everytime for me.

 

[75A]

Quiet carriages everytime for me.

and me

 

[Bald Rick]

Busy, except for the one I’m on.

 

[Galvanize]

Depends on the length of journey and the mood I happen to be in!

 

[Iskra]

I’m happy with either quiet (peaceful) or busy (the backdrop of much, consistent chatter can be a pleasant ambience), but it is the inbetween which I find annoying as it it neither peaceful nor enough to be pleasant.

 

[Kite159]

Depends on the length of journey, busy coaches are OK if you have to stand for a journey length of say 10-15 minutes but not for over an hour.

Busy coaches are OK, unless there is a group of drunken passengers attempting to sing or trying to outdo each other to be "Top Dog"

 

[robbeech]

I would prefer a quiet carriage, but I accept that this isn't viable for the railway. It's the same with lots of things. I love a quiet pub with a handful of people, or a quiet restaurant with just 2 or 3 tables in use but i appreciate that is why all my favourite pubs and restaurants close.

 

[dk1]

Both.

 

[O L Leigh]

Doesn’t really matter. I’ve got a seat and a window.

 

[gnolife]

If it's just me travelling, then as long as I don't have my face in someone's armpit, I'll take anything as long as I can get on. If I have my dog with me, then quiet is a must have

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Typically quiet, although if travelling alone at night - particularly on stopping services along certain lines - it's always reassuring to have a handful of other passengers onboard (so long as they aren't the undesirable kind!)

 

[bramling]

Do you prefer a carriage with relatively few passengers in it, or do you prefer to see it full of people, getting confidence that the industry is thriving?

Quiet. Anything worse than a carriage to myself I am dissatisfied with.

 

[liamf656]

It's good to see people using the railway in large numbers, especially on lines/services that have been mentioned to be struggling before, however I'd like my peace and quiet when I'm travelling!

 

[Horizon22]

Quiet carriage on a busy train thanks! Normally somewhere towards the extreme ends of the train where fewer people congregate.

 

[dk1]

Seriously though, it’s not an issue for me & hasn’t been for a good while now. Okay yes we’d all love more space to ourselves but life isn’t like that. Let’s get back yo how it was & not care.

 

[MargaretNoodle]

I prefer quiet too, although I do quite like busy trains (but not overcrowded or full of loud people). Generally it's the trains in between that I dislike, as there is no relaxing background mumble from other passengers nor the serenity of silence, invariably on these sorts of trains there is an annoying passenger making a lot of noise that I just can't zone out from.

 

[eMeS]

Quiet.

The last time I travelled from Milton Keynes to London it was busy, and standing all the way. One teenager quite close was fitted with teeth straightening wires! I think I'd really prefer more distance...

 

[Grecian 1998]

I'm very happy with the situation I often see on XC trains south out of Bristol / north out of Exeter at weekends - quiet at the front of the train, progressively getting busier at the other end until standing room only. The train's carrying plenty of passengers; I've got a double seat to myself. Win win.

Added bonus if the guard has announced there are plenty of seats at the end of the train I'm on but no-one bothers to take them up.

 

[507020]

Do you prefer a carriage with relatively few passengers in it, or do you prefer to see it full of people, getting confidence that the industry is thriving?

Quiet carriages are obviously more pleasant to travel in, but that is the implication if carriages are busy. Both should be experienced on a healthy railway at different times of day, so given the choice people can be encouraged to travel at quieter times if possible.

 

[BeijingDave]

Depends on the type of noise.

I like quiet and I like hustle and bustle. I actually love being in a busy restaurant with chatter and atmosphere.

What I dislike is stuff like people playing videos on their mobile phones loudly with no consideration for others. That happens in train carriages and cafes and I find it incredibly anti-social.

In other words, middle class noise is fine but chav noise isn't LOL.

 

[Edsmith]

Quiet for me, ideally a carriage to myself............ and don't you just love it when someone is having a loud and annoying phone conversation and you know there is a nice long tunnel coming up!

 

[Jan Mayen]

I generally go to the end of the train I believe will be quite.

 

[Falcon1200]

Busy, except for the one I’m on.

Quiet carriage on a busy train thanks!

I would say busy in every coach except the one I'm in !

 

[LethalDrizzle]

A quiet and sparsely populated carriage is a thing of beauty to be cherished when encountered, but I've no problem with busy as long as I get a seat.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

I'm really not bothered. As long as the booked train turns up...

My trains home have been busy, however not standing

 

[xotGD]

A table bay of 4 to myself. Perfect.

 

[Purple Orange]

It is rather telling, that on a forum full of people with an interest in the railways, in the context of the question I asked, 85% of formers would prefer a quiet train over seeing the train being busy, content in the knowledge that the industry is thriving.

There is something to be read in to the collective mindset here.

 

[yorksrob]

Both at the same time.

I like a busy train because it means the service will survive.

I like a quiet train so that I can relax in peace and wind down.


Generally if I have to have both, I prefer the busy train on the way out and the quieter one on the way back.

 

[johntea]

I quite like the atmosphere on say a Leeds to London service, it can be interesting walking down the train whilst it blasts down the ECML and witnessing someone watching a film on their iPad, someone tapping frantically away on their work laptop, an excited family making a weekend out of it, someone just staring out of the window

You spend 2 and a half hours in the same tin can as 300 other strangers and then within 5 minutes of arriving at your destination they've all gone off on their own seperate ways!

It must be quite interesting to be a guard and do the journey in one direction and then pretty much straight back to it in the other direction! Certainly beats being sat in an office (or more recently at home!) for 37.5 hours a week anyway!