Minor things on trains which irritate you

[Techniquest]

People who take forever to get off a train, faffing about with bags, phone, coat etc.
Come on, organise yourself, it's cold and wet and I want to just get on the train and get warmer.

Tell me about it, I had two people do just this at Crewe today. People had already got on and they were still getting out of the seating area on the 175. I was waiting to take a seat, I was not keen on waiting much longer!

 

[D821]

Or people who get on the train, stop to survey the entire carriage as if there's a massive comfy chair hidden in it, and then proceed to dawdle to their seat and faff about before sitting down. All this whilst being ignorant to the queue of people behind them.

 

[Jim the Jim]

Pointless reservations that are booked simply because the ticket (price) or the fact it has been bought online needs it. The passenger neither wants it nor uses it. Instead they sit in the first empty seat they find.

At least one operator likes to put all their reservations as close to each other as possible, which discourages people from actually sitting in their reserved seats because the unreserved part of the train is often quieter.

 

[Julia]

"See it, say it, sorted"

Services of more than 90 minutes with any of: no wi-fi, no tea, few tables. EMR 158s to Norwich, I'm looking at you.

Internal displays that use such large fonts that you can only see a handful of words at a time. Again, EMR 158s.

Mandatory station ticket barriers (and staff who don't help) at stations where all the refreshments are outside the gateline, where you're struggling with a large bag and a scalding hot tea because of (ii).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Mandatory station ticket barriers (and staff who don't help) at stations where all the refreshments are outside the gateline, where you're struggling with a large bag and a scalding hot tea because of (ii).

It is useful to know that once you've put your ticket in the gates will stay open for a long time until you pass through. I've never tried out just how long (someone here might know?) but there is definitely time, at a quieter station, to put down a drink, take out a ticket, put it through the gate, pick it up, put it in your wallet/purse, pick up your drink and proceed without unduly rushing. I've done it plenty of times.

You may of course not wish to do that if the Euston scrum (or equivalent) is in progress.

 

[Grannyjoans]

The boring repetetive "See it, Say it, Sorted it" auto announcements

 

[D6130]

The boring repetetive "See it, Say it, Sorted it" auto announcements

I'm happy to say that Northern have now scrapped that last part of the security announcements.

 

[py_megapixel]

I'm happy to say that Northern have now scrapped that last part of the security announcements.

So does it just stop after "We'll sort it" then?

 

[D6130]

So does it just stop after "We'll sort it" then?

No....it stops after "61016". There's no "See it, say it and we'll sort it!" any more....thank goodness!

 

[artemic]

Those doors to the vestibules on Voyagers (can't speak for Avanti ones but XC ones certainly do) which will attempt to murder you if you are in the wrong place. At least the Pendolino doors will stop when they hit you!
Middle carriages on 323s. I want to hear the UFO
Ticketing staff at Piccadilly. It's not all their fault, but I actively avoid them and will go through the barriers, up and across the top end instead (often it's just quicker too)
Indoor rain at Piccadilly, accompanied by "wet floor" sign
Getting the intern to remake pre-recorded announcements (rain, platform alteration, train cancellation)

 

[johntea]

Seat tables with a circular 'groove' to hold a drink...but so far towards the rear of the table the drink in question (definitely not a can of beer) just bangs against the seat and doesn't actually fit in the thing anyway!

 

[XAM2175]

Middle carriages on 323s. I want to hear the UFO

Getting rid of the vehicle that carries the pantograph is hardly going to help you there

 

[karlbbb]

Travelling past the lovely new 777s every day on the 507/508s they should have replaced over the last couple of years.

 

[Paul Jones 88]

Being cramped up in a 720 and seeing a lovely 317 going the other way.

 

[py_megapixel]

Being cramped up in a 720 and seeing a lovely 317 going the other way.

I find being on an outdated unit from the 1980s and seeing its modern replacement going the other way to be quite irritating personally.

 

[Grannyjoans]

No....it stops after "61016". There's no "See it, say it and we'll sort it!" any more....thank goodness!

That's great news. I'm also glad to say that they've scrapped the repetetive Covid 19 announcements which used to go off at every station stop. The auto announcements don't go on half as much as they used to now. I have often said that they spoil the journey.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I hope this upgrade is to be rolled out to all units. The 195 I had last Saturday between York and Leeds did it about a dozen times during the time I was on board

 

[artemic]

Getting rid of the vehicle that carries the pantograph is hardly going to help you there

You could fit a lorry engine and call it a "723"... no?

 

[py_megapixel]

You could fit a lorry engine and call it a "723"... no?

That would drown out the motor noise. You can't have a 323 that doesn't make that noise - absolute blasphemy!

 

[artemic]

That would drown out the motor noise. You can't have a 323 that doesn't make that noise - absolute blasphemy!

True. I might have to think about that one first...
On a more serious note I do wish the motor noises were more audible in the middle car - instead of the humming

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Units on long distance services with hardly any space for even the smallest-sized luggage to be placed overhead.

Any unit on a long distance service. Give me a loco or two and hauled stock any day on long distance.

 

[trebor79]

There's a PA announcer at Peterborough who has a very irritating (to me anyway) cadence to his speech. Draws out some words and rushes through others so they sound slurred with Robert Peston style pauses. Also tends to use "...your LNER service to..." instead of "...the LNER service to...". "Your" is daft. It's not my train, I'm waiting for the EMR to Sleaford!

 

[Ken H]

Any unit on a long distance service. Give me a loco or two and hauled stock any day on long distance.

I seem to remember the reason they went for bimodes on the east coast was because of the 9 minutes for a loco change at edinburgh for trains going further north. Sure that was documented in a Roger Ford article in modern railways.
So that decision meant we now have trains dragging round unneeded equipment for hundreds of miles.

 

[modernrail]

How did the UK end up with such a rubbish loading gauge compared to continental Europe?

But then not using it to its full potential at least. MK1 coaches seem far roomier. I assume the main problem is all the equipment and crash protection you now need nicking space? But then why the tapered profile for non-tilters?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Feb 2022 ==

Door opening buttons on one side of doors only coupled with standees on packed trains who maybe reasonably don’t want to act as door openers.

Slow opening/closing doors on disabled toilets.

Inability to agree on an easy to use/check locking system on disabled toilets.

Trains on airport routes with literally zero space for large luggage (Southern - I am looking at you)

First class seating that is literally the same as standard class, on routes used my passengers unfamiliar with UK train madness, and associated ticket inspectors who seem to love to catch people out for a pretty reasonable mistake. Gatwick Express I am looking at you.

First class in the middle of carriages also catching people out and stopping people who do spot it moving throughout standard.

Trains turning up in different formations all the time. I love being on a continental platform having a look at the train diagram in advance.

All the odd noises on lots electric trains.

That loud clicking noise on Merseyrail trains, although will kind of miss it.

The fact that Michael is more often than not sitting on the class of train the aerial shot has just shown.

Pathetic small tiny disabled and bicycle space stickers on the outside of trains. Stickers describing the hierarchy of potential uses for shared use spaces expecting passengers to both read it and negotiate for use of the space.

Commuter trains that think children and pushchairs don’t exist.

The black seat backs on northern trans. So dull.

Half arsed refurbishments. Inability to match colours in refurbishments.

Vinyls over windows.

Flat cloth. Money being wasted on using flat cloth and then replacing it.

Throwing away or changing half the design on perfectly good seats on Pendos when there are lots of better things to spend the money on.

The lack of a very easy to deploy sticker and announcement telling people to use headphones at all times when listening to devices.

Station design that is in denial it will have diesels running under it. (Leeds, St Pancras EMT).

It has been done to death but seats with literally no window access. Every seat on a Victoria like train has a view. They run entirely in tunnels.

The ECML and WCML inability to give you the type of seat you asked for followed by boarding a train with that type of seat available.

Lack of ability to pick your specific seat on long distance trains. This function seems to come and go like the tide.

Not giving cheap advance passengers the worst seats, meaning those who end up paying eye watering prices also have the pleasure of a solid bit of wall for 2.5 hours.

Absolutely everything about the Avanti website and the general inability to have a standard booking format across all websites.

 

[james60059]

People who think they have the god given right to occupy vacant seats with bags etc, then look away into their phones and pretend not to notice people standing

 

[py_megapixel]

Trains on airport routes with literally zero space for large luggage (Southern - I am looking at you)

Southern's parent also runs the Gatwick Express, which is much more expensive, so they have no incentive to provide luggage space on the Southern trains that stop at Gatwick.

All the odd noises on lots electric trains.

I'd counter that there is also far too much noise on lots of diesel trains!

Throwing away or changing half the design on perfectly good seats on Pendos when there are lots of better things to spend the money on.

By the statement that the seats on Pendolinos are "perfectly good", I can tell you don't have particularly long legs.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Southern's parent also runs the Gatwick Express, which is much more expensive, so they have no incentive to provide luggage space on the Southern trains that stop at Gatwick.

If only they had the sense to make it the same price.

By the statement that the seats on Pendolinos are "perfectly good", I can tell you don't have particularly long legs.

Well, quite. I am hoping the new thinner seats will mean I can sit in any Pendolino seat rather than just the priority and table seats. Much as I dislike the Fainsa Sophia (not the seat they are using) it is the key reason I have a strong preference for 80x.

 

[Grannyjoans]

How did the UK end up with such a rubbish loading gauge compared to continental Europe?

But then not using it to its full potential at least. MK1 coaches seem far roomier

Mk1 coaches have all got seats arranged in bays, always 4 around a table.
Solo travellers do not want this arrangement. You get more privacy with airline style seating.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Mk1 coaches have all got seats arranged in bays, always 4 around a table.
Solo travellers do not want this arrangement. You get more privacy with airline style seating.

The loading gauge comes from the fact that we were first, and initially three stagecoach bodies on a flat wagon was seen as what was needed.

Mk1s are not actually as wide as they could be because the doorhandles protrude. But modern stock is generally narrower because longer vehicles need to be narrower. That said, the Class 444 is I think the narrowest UK passenger stock at 2.68m, but in my view one of the most comfortable.

 

[Grannyjoans]

All the odd noises on lots electric trains

Yes 323's, 331's and 350's make some very odd noises


Older EMU's like 319's, 325's and 507's sound much more normal for an Electric powered vehicle