CrossCountry/SWT to withdraw quiet carriage?

[antharro]

A relative mentioned to me that she heard SWT were planning to withdraw the quiet carriage on their Waterloo - Reading trains. That didn't seem right to me so I Googled it and came back with almost nothing.

I came back with this BBC Oxford programme from Friday 18th July whose summary states "why quiet carriages are being withdrawn from CrossCountry trains", and this review on the Review Centre website.

Said relative also said she heard something similar on the radio today, but no further detail given. She felt that they were definitely discussing SWT.

Can anyone cast some light on this?

 

[Pumbaa]

CrossCountry definitely are doing away with theirs.

 

[JonathanH]

A relative mentioned to me that she heard SWT were planning to withdraw the quiet carriage on their Waterloo - Reading trains. That didn't seem right to me so I Googled it and came back with almost nothing.

I came back with this BBC Oxford programme from Friday 18th July whose summary states "why quiet carriages are being withdrawn from CrossCountry trains", and this review on the Review Centre website.

Said relative also said she heard something similar on the radio today, but no further detail given. She felt that they were definitely discussing SWT.

Can anyone cast some light on this?

It was broadcast on Radio Surrey breakfast show yesterday. However, to sensationalise the story they said "one of the region's train operators is going to remove the quiet carriage and then you had to listen for 30 minutes before they said it was Cross Country. Nothing about South West Trains doing it.

 

[Jonfun]

XC ones on the Voyagers went last month, as it was decided that it wasn't really the best use of capacity to have one third of all standard class seats as a quiet zone. They remain on the HSTs though.

 

[FQ]

The voyagers probably hade them withdrawn because the 'quiet coach' isn't quiet with that underfloor racket and the reason mentioned above.

 

[Monty]

I wouldn't mind if they removed them from the 450s, I know they do some mainline work to Weymouth, Poole, Southampton etc but it's silly to try to enforce a quiet coach policy on a Hounslow Rounder or Weybridge Bay service. They ought to keep them in the 444 and 159s though.

 

[Greenback]

I must admit, I never realised XC had quiet carriages!

 

[CC 72100]

I must admit, I never realised XC had quiet carriages!

I've actually found the quiet coach (this applies to noise volumes, not the amount of people in the coach ) reasonably well respected, especially so on the HSTs.

I'll miss the quiet coach, but it's true, it's 1/3rd of the standard class accommodation dedicated as a quiet zone, which does highlight how pathetically short the voyagers are! (I know that's been long debated, but it doesn't half show it up.)

 

[swt_passenger]

It was broadcast on Radio Surrey breakfast show yesterday.

Typical BBC local radio. They borrow stories from neighbouring stations and no-one will have factored in that XC only run a token single service each way to/from Surrey. Most of the local listeners probably wondered WTF they were on about...

 

[Kite159]

I wouldn't mind if they either ditch the quiet zone on the 159s or swap it so it's in the half standard/half first car.

Free up some extra seats for people who want to listen to music with headphones without getting dirty looks by couples who talk loud. So 1/6 is a quiet zone, compared to 1/3. And probably the quiet zone users will like it better as they are closer to London

 

[WatcherZero]

Article in the Times saying all the TOCs would be getting rid of quiet carriages as they were sick of Guards having to break up fights between passengers that the quiet zones caused.

 

[jrhilton]

Free up some extra seats for people who want to listen to music with headphones without getting dirty looks by couples who talk loud.

I think that sums up many of the quiet carriages I've sat in very nicely!

 

[David Goddard]

XC ones on the Voyagers went last month, as it was decided that it wasn't really the best use of capacity to have one third of all standard class seats as a quiet zone. They remain on the HSTs though.

That's interesting, as TMs were still declaring coach F a quiet zone on two Voyagers we used two weeks ago.

 

[Bungle965]

Although I do the Manchester to Birmingham run every weekend at I normally used to sit it the quiet zone because no one ever used to come on there until about Wolverhampton.(your right the racket from the underfloor engines is pain)

 

[wimbledonpete]

I wouldn't mind if they either ditch the quiet zone on the 159s or swap it so it's in the half standard/half first car.

Free up some extra seats for people who want to listen to music with headphones without getting dirty looks by couples who talk loud. So 1/6 is a quiet zone, compared to 1/3. And probably the quiet zone users will like it better as they are closer to London

Quiet zone or no quiet zone we shouldn't be able to hear other people's music leaking tinnily from their headphones, but you're right, I've never completely understood why loud face to face conversations are more acceptable than a whispered mobile one.

 

[WatcherZero]

Whenever im in a quiet carriage theres always groups of loud drunk Scots. Worse was on my last trip there was a loud drunk scot group and a dozen middle aged drunk women shouting drunk parlour games.

 

[RailAleFan]

Quiet Zones really are a recipe for confrontation. it's not obvious that you're in one, and you might not even have been planning on making any noise but then you get a text alert and that's enough to trigger a "TUT" response from someone who otherwise wouldn't have even cared had they not seen the "Quiet Zone" sticker.

Also the air conditioning on Pendolinos is louder than any passenger could possibly be on their own!

 

[GodAtum]

From the DM

They have been a godsend for passengers who crave a peaceful journey – as well as commuters who need to work on the go.

But train operators are axing ‘quiet carriages’ – because they are apparently causing rows among passengers.

Staff are said to be finding it difficult to mediate between customers when the tranquil haven is spoiled by those who insist on using noisy gadgets, talking loudly, singing or drinking alcohol.

Bosses will now just ask fellow travellers to be nicer to each other – a move that has been described as a victory for yobs.

Train operator CrossCountry is scrapping quiet carriages on long distance routes, while First Great Western is converting first class quiet carriages to standard class on its high-speed lines.

CrossCountry customer Brian McGlone, from Edinburgh, claims he was told that quiet coaches were creating ‘confrontational situations’.

Mr McGlone, who was travelling on the Glasgow to Penzance route on Thursday, added: ‘I asked the ticket collector, who told me that they had scrapped the quiet coach because staff were finding it difficult to mediate between the drunken yobs and the passengers. It’s a defeat for civilised passengers.

‘I’ve seen potential for conflict before. Very often you get people coming into the quiet carriage and making noise, playing music and drinking beer.

‘I feel it’s a victory for the train yobs. There are other carriages they could go to. They should respect that people have booked the quiet coach.’

The train operator will now use a mixture of announcements and signs to foster consideration. Richard Gibson, from CrossCountry, said quiet carriages weren’t an ‘antidote’ to antisocial behaviour, but added: ‘Modern technology has improved to the point that you don’t have to shout any more to be heard and people are communicating in different ways.

‘Headphones for games and phones are much better, they don’t emit the noise they used to.

‘Designating an entire carriage as a quiet coach doesn’t seem to be as relevant any more. We’re not saying you can’t use a phone or listen to music but to think of other people there and act responsibly.’

First Great Western said it is removing quiet carriage status on one coach to increase capacity on its high-speed routes and denied that passenger conflict was behind the decision.

However, first class carriages are to get a revamp, including glass screens to create a quieter and ‘more ambient’ environment.

East Coast trains and Virgin said there were no plans to alter quiet coaches on their services.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...reas-cause-rows-passengers.html#ixzz38fR8nnJu
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[Kite159]

Quiet zone or no quiet zone we shouldn't be able to hear other people's music leaking tinnily from their headphones, but you're right, I've never completely understood why loud face to face conversations are more acceptable than a whispered mobile one.

You can tell the people who have cheapo (or apple) earphones as they leak sound. But what is wrong with a decent pair of earphones with no leakage of sound?

Worst are the idiots who decide to listen to their 'music' on only one earphone, allowing the rest of the passengers sat around to hear it from the other earphone.

 

[GatwickDepress]

From the DM

Is that an image of an IE 2750 Class DMU in the article?

End of the line for quiet carriages on trains

East Coast trains and Virgin said there were no plans to alter quiet coaches on their services.

Not quite... those two sort of conflict, the impression is that all quiet carriages are going, while it's just two TOCS removing their.

I also see the usual Middle England hyperbole is in play, such as playing on their readership's fear/disgust of "yobs".

EDIT: But anyway, we all know the DM is rubbish. I'm sort of glad, as XC's Voyagers could use the extra space for normal passengers (for want of a better wording) and South West Trains' always felt a little redundant.

 

[wimbledonpete]

You can tell the people who have cheapo (or apple) earphones as they leak sound. But what is wrong with a decent pair of earphones with no leakage of sound?

Absolutely nothing!

 

[Rich McLean]

On XC Voyagers, once the trains become packed, the Quiet Zone is a waste of time. It eats up two much capacity. I used to avoid the quiet coach when I could, but on Voyagers often found myself in there, and found it a waste of time with people standing down the aisle

 

[All Line Rover]

Just call it the Silent Coach and place a sticker on the rear of every seat. Then there will be no room for argument.

Quiet Coaches are a godsend but are not made obvious enough. I don't understand why, as train companies manage it with First Class.

 

[185143]

No, the worst are the people who sit there listening to music without any headphones, in other words playing their music to the whole carriage!

 

[scotsman]

There's also a number of passengers who think that any First Class coach is a quiet coach automatically. Anyone think this should be the case, can't imagine it would go down well with some.

 

[Olaf]

Article in the Times saying all the TOCs would be getting rid of quiet carriages as they were sick of Guards having to break up fights between passengers that the quiet zones caused.

I've never seen a guard intervene; they are always conveniently absent when groups of passengers ignore the quite zone.

 

[Thewanderer]

Is that an image of an IE 2750 Class DMU in the article?

Yes it is...and it's my picture as well.
http://www.thewandererphotos.com/2006photos/September-2006/i-9KMrkhD

 

[GatwickDepress]

Yes it is...and it's my picture as well.
http://www.thewandererphotos.com/2006photos/September-2006/i-9KMrkhD

Bloody Daily Mail.

If it's any consolation, I think it's a rather lovely picture!

 

[Thewanderer]

Thank You

Not the first time they knicked a picture of mine either. Last time they used this picture in there Irish edition.
http://www.thewandererphotos.com/2011photos/GAA-AllIreland-Hurling-Final11/i-vX42Bc8

I was looking for an email address to contact re that 2750 picture but couldn't find any on their website (surprise). So if anybody knows an email........

Thanking you in advance.


The Wanderer.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Thank You

I was looking for an email address to contact re that 2750 picture but couldn't find any on their website (surprise). So if anybody knows an email........

Try the CEO e-mail website?