Loud coach

[island]

I think these days trains should have one or two designated loud coaches for those wishing to play tiktoks, listen to music, make calls etc. without the use of a headset. The norm should be a low murmur with at most quiet conversation. Thoughts?

 

[Egg Centric]

One of the downsides (and upsides sometimes) of public transport is you are with the public. I can't see this working as those being genuinely anti social (as opposed to merely going a little bit beyond "quiet conversation") aren't going to pay a blind bit of notice anyway.

I suppose I'd support something like that German Techno Train in principle if we turned every second late night suburban train (which mostly carry drunks) into one. If we had unlimited money.

 

[AlterEgo]

Imagine the ever increasing spiral of volume increases as everyone turns up their nonsense to drown the others out. They would all deserve it.

 

[MatthewHutton]

We just need to increase the size of the penalty for anti social behaviour or increase enforcement or both.

 

[Magrar]

A far simpler solution would be to group similar travellers together.

Figure out based on who they are, how old they are and who/what they have with them, how much noise and general social interaction they're likely to make (and tolerate), and get them all in their designated coach.

Sounds like a job for AI, monitoring passengers passing through gates and standing on platforms, categorising them before the train arrives and thus dynamically assigning them the best coach to suit them.

Imagine a whole coach full of lone 20 somethings who came to the station with headphones already on and couldn't go 20 seconds without checking their phones screen on the platform. That's going to be far quieter than either a coach full of business travellers with laptops or pensioners on a day out.

 

[MatthewHutton]

A far simpler solution would be to group similar travellers together.

Figure out based on who they are, how old they are and who/what they have with them, how much noise and general social interaction they're likely to make (and tolerate), and get them all in their designated coach.

Sounds like a job for AI, monitoring passengers passing through gates and standing on platforms, categorising them before the train arrives and thus dynamically assigning them the best coach to suit them.

Imagine a whole coach full of lone 20 somethings who came to the station with headphones already on and couldn't go 20 seconds without checking their phones screen on the platform. That's going to be far quieter than either a coach full of business travellers with laptops or pensioners on a day out.

Sounds extraordinarily complicated to solve something that isn’t really an issue in e.g France on the TGV.

 

[renegademaster]

A far simpler solution would be to group similar travellers together.

Figure out based on who they are, how old they are and who/what they have with them, how much noise and general social interaction they're likely to make (and tolerate), and get them all in their designated coach.

Sounds like a job for AI, monitoring passengers passing through gates and standing on platforms, categorising them before the train arrives and thus dynamically assigning them the best coach to suit them.

Imagine a whole coach full of lone 20 somethings who came to the station with headphones already on and couldn't go 20 seconds without checking their phones screen on the platform. That's going to be far quieter than either a coach full of business travellers with laptops or pensioners on a day out.

This would be a good plot for a low budget comedy drama movie

 

[Sun Chariot]

Imagine the ever increasing spiral of volume increases as everyone turns up their nonsense to drown the others out. They would all deserve it.

Post of the day! My exact sentiments, thinking back to my weekly commutes between Euston and Manch Picc...

 

[Egg Centric]

A far simpler solution would be to group similar travellers together.

Figure out based on who they are, how old they are and who/what they have with them, how much noise and general social interaction they're likely to make (and tolerate), and get them all in their designated coach.

Sounds like a job for AI, monitoring passengers passing through gates and standing on platforms, categorising them before the train arrives and thus dynamically assigning them the best coach to suit them.

Imagine a whole coach full of lone 20 somethings who came to the station with headphones already on and couldn't go 20 seconds without checking their phones screen on the platform. That's going to be far quieter than either a coach full of business travellers with laptops or pensioners on a day out.

(I know this is a joke like the entire thread, but one of the major reasons we're screwed at the moment societally speaking is the silo-isation of people like this. Just look at EG reform and green supporters, most of whom are in reality actually decent enough ordinary people but online hate each other. If anything I'd do things the other way and enforce mixing. The super loud can be told clearly to shut up, the overly sensitive can be habituated a bit)

 

[xotGD]

There was a loud coach on the KWVR the past four days - the one immediately behind the Class 37s!

 

[SargeNpton]

Some trains have designated quiet coaches, not that you can always tell! The problem, as ever, is in the enforcement.

 

[al78]

We just need to increase the size of the penalty for anti social behaviour or increase enforcement or both.

Ideally yes but isn't going to happen because of the fear of escalation, so we have a situation where obnoxious scum who's parents clearly failed at parenting don't get called out for their behaviour, that behaviour evolves into an entitlement, everyone else is involuntarily forever on the receiving end of it, and quality of life is eroded.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think these days trains should have one or two designated loud coaches for those wishing to play tiktoks, listen to music, make calls etc. without the use of a headset. The norm should be a low murmur with at most quiet conversation. Thoughts?

I'd prefer the rules were enforced on the playing out loud of electronic devices in all coaches myself, quiet or otherwise. It doesn't need to be a library, but the only sounds that should be audible on any part of the railway are those of natural human conversation and of the trains. Guards won't feel safe doing this and sometimes aren't present, but I think on balance I would go for a Merseyrail style byelaw squad approach to seek to improve behavioural standard in all aspects throughout the railway - it really has worked well on Merseyrail which runs through some very rough areas but nonetheless feels very safe.

I would advocate changing the law to permit a base £100/£50 Penalty Fare to be able to be charged for non-fare Byelaw breaches, stuff like electronic noise, luggage placed in the wheelchair space, bicycles on trains where they are not permitted, leaving litter when alighting etc.

There should probably also be a "silence zone" instead of a quiet coach, in which conversation isn't acceptable either. Some do prefer that. That coach should, again enforced as above, be like a library, with no sound audible other than the sound of the train itself and the odd cough or sneeze.

 

[speedy1]

We just need to increase the size of the penalty for anti social behaviour or increase enforcement or both.

Hear hear. The British only respond to heavy fines or a heavy hand

Anything less they know they get away with it

If speed fines were increased to a minimum of £1000 and 9 points it would stop overnight

I'm curious about Merseyrail as I understand they have more staff and stricter enforcement: how's the situation on those services?

 

[MatthewHutton]

There should probably also be a "silence zone" instead of a quiet coach, in which conversation isn't acceptable either.

The Japanese do this. It makes it very clear what’s happening.

But you also do need people to reserve the silent carriage specifically.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

If speed fines were increased to a minimum of £1000 and 9 points it would stop overnight

There’s not much speeding at the level where you do get those sorts of penalties to be fair.

Lots of people doing 80 in a 70 where it’s a slap on the wrist at worst. Not much at 120 in a 70 where you’d get a big penalty.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Japanese do this. It makes it very clear what’s happening.

That's part of the issue with the "quiet coach", it's not clear what it means. Whereas it's obvious what a "silence zone" is - you do not make ANY unnecessary noise, same as a library.

It would be necessary to have a way to avoid being booked into it even if it meant standing - it would for instance be incompatible with most young children (though some can do it if well brought up). But then we've been there before with smoking compartments, so that isn't hard.

 

[Egg Centric]

If speed fines were increased to a minimum of £1000 and 9 points it would stop overnight

If any member sounds like they should know!

 

[speedy1]

If any member sounds like they should know!

Hahah! 18 years and never a fine nor points! By some miracle though - plenty of flashes observed...Must have been the people in the other lane

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

There’s not much speeding at the level where you do get those sorts of penalties to be fair.

Lots of people doing 80 in a 70 where it’s a slap on the wrist at worst. Not much at 120 in a 70 where you’d get a big penalty.

No that's exactly what I'm suggesting. Same level of fines for doing 60 (or 50...or 40) on my 30 street which has lots of kids and is on the way to the school.

Let hell rain down upon them

When people get away with 40, they do 50, then 60...Brits continue to push boundaries in a way children do when they are growing up

 

[cairnviewer]

Just got on a Bristol to Exeter train. I usually avoid the quiet carriage as it's so annoying when people ignore it, but thought I would try it as it was nearly empty. Just as the guard said that Coach A was the quiet coach, the first call came in. The passenger unashamedly took it. Another passenger took a call before we had reached Nailsea. I moved carriage - at least people making a noise in the other carriages isn't so infuriating. Why do people sit in the quiet coach if they want to take calls? Is it sheer bloody-mindedness?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Just got on a Bristol to Exeter train. I usually avoid the quiet carriage as it's so annoying when people ignore it, but thought I would try it as it was nearly empty. Just as the guard said that Coach A was the quiet coach, the first call came in. The passenger unashamedly took it. Another passenger took a call before we had reached Nailsea. I moved carriage - at least people making a noise in the other carriages isn't so infuriating. Why do people sit in the quiet coach if they want to take calls? Is it sheer bloody-mindedness?

Self-entitled ignorance.
I endured similar on my weekly trips between Londoh Euston and Manchester Piccadilly, 2005-2008. 25% of those trips in First Class Quiet Coach, the other 75% in the Standard Class Quiet Coach.
In First, I don't recall a single interruption or noisy passenger. In Standard, every journey had at least one loud person / on phone.

 

[Krokodil]

Some trains have designated quiet coaches, not that you can always tell! The problem, as ever, is in the enforcement.

I find that the existence of these can make matters worse on trains not so equipped. People think that because they're not in a "quiet coach", they can do whatever they bloody well like. Whereas they might not have done if there wasn't a distinction between that one coach on some intercity trains and every other coach in the entire country.