Policing the 'quiet coach'.

[BRX]

The concept of the 'quiet coach' is a good one, especially on longer journeys. In return for being quiet myself, everyone else is quiet and we all have an undisturbed journey. Those who don't want to be quiet just sit in another carriage and everyone's happy.

However, the reality is that not everyone respects the quiet coach rules, or at least, fails to understand that if you play your music at high volume through crappy earphones, other people can hear it. But no-one really likes telling other people to be quiet, so you either sit there irked by it or you have to go through the unpleasant process of saying 'excuse me...EXCUSE ME....hi, sorry but could you turn the volume down' the result of which is feeling like a fascist, and/or them turning it down but still not enough to stop the noise leaking out of their cheapo headphones.

Would it be unreasonable to suggest that it should be part of the train manager's job to tell people to turn it down in the quiet coach? If I can hear it, they can hear it but I can't think of one time that I've seen a member of train staff do this.

 

[Ferret]

You haven't been on one of my trains then!!!

That said, it's nigh on impossible to police simply because I've got several other carriages to deal with too so can't be in the quiet coach all the time. It relies on people policing it for themselves!

 

[thelem]

They should also follow their own rules and reduce the announcements in the quiet coach. I think all you need is:

Now approaching [station]
This is the [operator] service to [destination], next stop [station]. You are in the quiet coach.

 

[GB]

Would it be unreasonable to suggest that it should be part of the train manager's job to tell people to turn it down in the quiet coach? If I can hear it, they can hear it but I can't think of one time that I've seen a member of train staff do this.

From my experience with NXEA, the guard does this as a matter of course...either when checking tickets or when making announcements.

The "Quiet" coach is a good idea and I usually opt for this coach when travelling but what I find just as annoying is those that insist on yaking away at a high volume or those that bring their kids in:roll:

 

[a22book]

I have sometimes been put in the quiet coach automatically when i have booked on virgin west coast. I have a 2 year old child so you can imagine other customers reaction, but if its a full train theres nothing i can do.

 

[dk1]

Great idea but is more trouble than its worth most of the time. To be honest i hate it when the coach is deadly silent. A bit of chatter or somebody tapping away on a keyboard with the odd considerate phone call is fine. All coaches just need to be like that. The train manager/senior conductor/guard whatever TOCs call them this week have a hard enough time as it is without this to worry about. A quiet coach on an oversubscribed 4-car West Country Voyager in school holidays is damn right ridiculous.

 

[mindfeeder]

I admit I like to listen to music on the train, so I avoid the Quiet Coach as it's just not fair if I go in there and people are trying to be quiet and i'm polluting the air with my music. I've done it by accident a couple of times but i'm happy to accept that's my mistake.

However I do have a problem when i'm told to turn my music down when I'm not in the quiet coach. This has happened on a number of trains i've been on. Mainly CrossCountry services.

And to throw in a question why we're at it - what is the rule is you're in the vestibule of a quiet coach and your music is a bit too loud? Where do the train staff stand then?

 

[Barn]

I admit I like to listen to music on the train, so I avoid the Quiet Coach as it's just not fair if I go in there and people are trying to be quiet and i'm polluting the air with my music. I've done it by accident a couple of times but i'm happy to accept that's my mistake.

However I do have a problem when i'm told to turn my music down when I'm not in the quiet coach. This has happened on a number of trains i've been on. Mainly CrossCountry services.

If anyone else can hear your music, it's too loud - whatever coach you're in.

 

[Ferret]

However I do have a problem when i'm told to turn my music down when I'm not in the quiet coach. This has happened on a number of trains i've been on. Mainly CrossCountry services.

And rightly so too - playing music in carriages is actually an offence in the byelaws, as is causing annoyance to other passengers. If anybody else can hear it, it is too loud.

And to throw in a question why we're at it - what is the rule is you're in the vestibule of a quiet coach and your music is a bit too loud? Where do the train staff stand then?

You get told to turn it off!

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, I must admit, I've never seen the point of them. It does amaze me how people manage to get ther personal stereo's so loud that others can hear them. Even if I turn mine up as far as it will go, it's often not loud enough to drown out the dance music at my gym

As for people talking on mobile phones, how's it different from anybody else talking anyway

 

[yorkie]

Yes, I must admit, I've never seen the point of them. It does amaze me how people manage to get ther personal stereo's so loud that others can hear them. Even if I turn mine up as far as it will go, it's often not loud enough to drown out the dance music at my gym

It may mean they have crap speakers

As for people talking on mobile phones, how's it different from anybody else talking anyway

It isn't really, but some people (perhaps most!) seem to talk louder (in some cases a lot louder) when they're on a mobile phone, because they can't hear the other person so loudly through the speakers, therefore they think (subconsciously) that means that they need to talk louder for the other person to hear them. This is in fact, false.

 

[yorksrob]

It may mean they have crap speakers

It isn't really, but some people (perhaps most!) seem to talk louder (in some cases a lot louder) when they're on a mobile phone, because they can't hear the other person so loudly through the speakers, therefore they think (subconsciously) that means that they need to talk louder for the other person to hear them. This is in fact, false.

I tend to just text on the phone now anyway

 

[jon0844]

Buy some decent head/earphones. Yes, people around you will be happy - but that's not the reason you're doing it. A decent set of earphones will not only have better sound quality (especially bass), but will help block out surrounding sound (and I don't mean clever and expensive noise cancellation technology) and let you turn the volume down - protecting your ears.

This is something you'll be thankful of in years to come - especially when you've actually enjoyed your music all the more beforehand.

If I became PM, the first thing I'd do (!) is destroy all iPod/iPhone earphones. Apple would be forced to supply a decent set with their devices and not the dross that come with them - and people seem happy to use forever. You've just bought an iPhone on a £40/month contract for 2-years and you're happy with the tinny sound and massive sound loss that annoys everyone around you?!

I've was given Sennheiser IE8 in-ear headphones and they're amazing, and adjustable, but there are plenty of cheaper options available. If you've got a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, the free earphones you get are surprisingly good and have very little, if any, leakage.

 

[317666]

On First Great Western, the Train Manager makes an announcement "Please note that Coaches A in Standard and G in First Class are designated quiet zones, please refrain from using mobile phones and music players in these coaches." On London Midland 323s, there is a Quiet Zone, but the TVs inside is are really loud! I remember a few years ago I was the only person in the Quiet Coach of a 323, and the other 2 coaches were packed full! The Quiet Coach does generally have less people in it. I think that when it comes to reserving seats, you should be able to select an option 'NOT quiet coach', because if you don't select the 'Quiet coach' option, then the reservation programme assumes you don't mind being in the quiet coach.

 

[mindfeeder]

If anyone else can hear your music, it's too loud - whatever coach you're in.

What would you consider as "too loud" though? Where you can hear a tiny bit of tinnyness? I don't listen to music that loud, i do value my hearing after all and don't wish to annoy my fellow passengers.

 

[WillPS]

Yes, it's bloody annoying. Get some in ear headphones and voila, the problem is gone.

 

[Failed Unit]

What would you consider as "too loud" though? Where you can hear a tiny bit of tinnyness? I don't listen to music that loud, i do value my hearing after all and don't wish to annoy my fellow passengers.

I consider too loud is if someone else can hear the music sat near by, above the noise of the engine / background noise. Even worse if they can tell you the song they are listening too I have had that on the opposite end of the coach on a 170 and when I asked the person to turn it down they seemed shocked that someone at the other end of the train could hear it. :roll:

The worse I have had is somoene watching a video on a PC without the headphones, it was going to leave the coach via the window (HST). They turned it down when the rest of the coach decided to back me up. Again the person involved didn't seem to understand that they were annoying everyone around them!

If you are getting evils from other passengers then it probably is too loud.

 

[Evvy73]

If I became PM, the first thing I'd do (!) is destroy all iPod/iPhone earphones. Apple would be forced to supply a decent set with their devices and not the dross that come with them - and people seem happy to use forever. You've just bought an iPhone on a £40/month contract for 2-years and you're happy with the tinny sound and massive sound loss that annoys everyone around you?!

Ah, a man after my own heart - I couldn't have said it better myself! I make a point of telling all the people I know that are part of 'Steve Job's white army' to invest in some decent headphones. Some listen and do upgrade - others look at me like I have two heads and give me a reply of something like "But these are Apple Headphones so they must be good!". At this point I just give up and walk away.:roll:

I absolutely dread someone sitting next to me on my daily commute who has iPhone/iPod headphones plugged in.

I even joined the Facebook group to ban iPod headphones, but sadly it doesn't seem to have caught on!

 

[BRX]

What would you consider as "too loud" though? Where you can hear a tiny bit of tinnyness? I don't listen to music that loud, i do value my hearing after all and don't wish to annoy my fellow passengers.

If anyone else can hear anything, it's too loud. Quiet coach or not.
Take the headphones out of your ears, and put your fingers over the bits that face into your ears. If you can hear something it's too loud.
Like others have said, just get some decent earphones. This will stop you annoying others and it will sound better to you too. Win-win - it's not difficult!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If I became PM, the first thing I'd do (!) is destroy all iPod/iPhone earphones. Apple would be forced to supply a decent set with their devices and not the dross that come with them - and people seem happy to use forever. You've just bought an iPhone on a £40/month contract for 2-years and you're happy with the tinny sound and massive sound loss that annoys everyone around you?!
.

Hear hear!
If it's possible to put regulations on the maximum sound levels that portable music players can provide, it should be possible to do the same for sound leakage from headphones.

I'm a big fan of travelling by public transport but this is the one thing that regularly annoys me. So stupid because it's a problem that could easily be solved.

 

[mindfeeder]

I always test my earphones before travelling on a train, I usually turn it down a touch when I get on, but for some reason i've had a couple of instances when ticket inspectors have given me a telling off even though i've not been playing my music loud at all. This may be because i'm young, but I hope that's not the truth!

 

[snowkitten]

People listening on headphones don't both me as such (At least they are making some kind of effort to keep the sound to themselves), it's the people who don't use headphones at all and just blast out their rubbish songs on tinny sounding mobile phones.

I have and will do so again, asked people who do this to turn it down as it it rather annoying!

 

[mindfeeder]

People listening on headphones don't both me as such (At least they are making some kind of effort to keep the sound to themselves), it's the people who don't use headphones at all and just blast out their rubbish songs on tinny sounding mobile phones.

I have and will do so again, asked people who do this to turn it down as it it rather annoying!

Now THAT is bloody annoying. Usually this crime is committed by Chavs and Schoolchildren.

 

[Helvellyn]

Would it be unreasonable to suggest that it should be part of the train manager's job to tell people to turn it down in the quiet coach? If I can hear it, they can hear it but I can't think of one time that I've seen a member of train staff do this.

We can make requests but we can't enforce it because we don't have any powers to do so. That been said, on a train that isn't full where someone sits in the quiet coach common decency should dictate that if you've sat there respect the designation.

 

[route:oxford]

Think laterally...

If the music is loud enough for other people to "enjoy" in the carriage, then it is clearly being performed...

Perhaps it's time for the performing rights society to police trains... I'm sure people would turn down the music a bit if they found they needed a £1000 licence to let others enjoy...

 

[Ferret]

We can make requests but we can't enforce it because we don't have any powers to do so.

Who is 'we'?! If you mean the Guard, I think you'll find we do have the power!!!! If you're really stuck - try S58 of the NRCoC!

 

[dave12435]

I think it can be difficult to judge with some makes
I have a new Personal Media Player and the volume on it seems way loud but next to not loud at all

 

[CCF23]

Today on a c2c train a grumpy old man told a young woman to be quiet when she was on the phone and she didn't like it. Many others were also talking and he was looking like he was going to tell them too. Problem is many just use their phones and there is a lack of authority to stop it.

 

[37401]

I remember once my mate phoned when I was in the quiet coach the TM pointed to the quiet coach sticker (I didnt know it was the quiet zone to be fair it was packed)
and the phone went off, well done to that TM

 

[ukrob]

However I do have a problem when i'm told to turn my music down when I'm not in the quiet coach. This has happened on a number of trains i've been on. Mainly CrossCountry services.

I don't listen to music that loud, i do value my hearing after all and don't wish to annoy my fellow passengers.

You don't want to annoy fellow passengers but you have a problem with being asked to turn your music down?

Think about what you are saying. You can't everything both ways in life!

 

[43021HST]

I remember once my mate phoned when I was in the quiet coach the TM pointed to the quiet coach sticker (I didnt know it was the quiet zone to be fair it was packed)
and the phone went off, well done to that TM

was that me yesterday?