Someone throwing up on a train - what can be done?

[Chapeltom]

Now this may sound silly but the other night on the 2300 Southampton Central to London Waterloo I saw a guy throwing up almost constantly on the wall of the train below the window and on the floor. I asked him to go and use a toilet, there was one literally 10 feet away and he continued to do it, I'm not sure he spoke much English if I'm honest, so probably why he ignored me! What can actually be done by staff in this situation? To me its disgusting and I feel sorry for those who had to clean the train after!

This guy was pretty much being sick for the full 2 hours back and I was going to tell the guard but didn't think he'd be able to do much!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Tell the guard , a bucket and mop can usually be obtained - or coach locked and dealt with at terminus / depot. Happens too often l

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Now this may sound silly but the other night on the 2300 Southampton Central to London Waterloo I saw a guy throwing up almost constantly on the wall of the train below the window and on the floor. I asked him to go and use a toilet, there was one literally 10 feet away and he continued to do it, I'm not sure he spoke much English if I'm honest, so probably why he ignored me! What can actually be done by staff in this situation? To me its disgusting and I feel sorry for those who had to clean the train after!

This guy was pretty much being sick for the full 2 hours back and I was going to tell the guard but didn't think he'd be able to do much!

To be blunt not much, worse case is lock the carriage out of use but if its a last drunk train aka one of the last back newspaper thrown down has to do, not the nicest but some things just cannot be avoided.

 

[trainophile]

I should think the smell would be quite nauseating for the other passengers. I trust they all moved to a different carriage?

No excuse when there's a toilet on board. Even if he didn't speak English you'd think he'd look for one.

Was the train a stopper? He should have got (or been put) off at the first opportunity.

 

[sbt]

Being a passenger who once sat in the results of such an incident (dozey & tired after the working week) I would encourage people to report it.

 

[northwichcat]

Was the train a stopper? He should have got (or been put) off at the first opportunity.

Or if he was feeling a bit sick he probably shouldn't have boarded a train until his stomach had calmed down.

I once ate some dodgy food in a foreign restaurant and didn't feel well but my hotel was a 3 mile Metro ride across the city. I didn't try to get back until the hotel at first and threw up twice before boarding the Metro back and travelled back without any further problem.

 

[tsr]

I don't think the guard would mind being told - in fact, they might be grateful, if they are then able to help the passenger off - thus hopefully eliminating any further issues - and make sure they prevent any complaints by sealing off the relevant area, if possible.

Most of the affected staff, both guards and also maintenance/cleaning crews, are going to be used to disgusting or mucky stuff happening (not that it makes it any better!).

It wasn't as unpleasant, but I once had the misfortune to sit opposite a passenger who allowed a violently fizzing bottle of Fanta to burst all over the floor of a 377. The guard briefly noticed the fact that it was making the floor rather slippery (and quickly becoming sticky), but, most surprisingly of all, he completely ignored the fact that it had poured all over his shoes and socks as well, coating them in an unpleasant sugary mess! The passengers who ended up with damp luggage and a soggy carriage to sit in were more vocal...

 

[313103]

This issue raises its head regular on LO. The biggest problem is that you cannot lock out a coach on a class 378. If it stinks that much and we dont have any cleaning staff on duty, i take the train out of service.

 

[jopsuk]

I was a 315 once when a guy sitting across the aisle, drinking paint stripper type vodka from a bottle, vomited on the floor in front of him just before getting off. I moved within the carriage (as I had a bike with me) but was only going another couple of stops. No guard to tell of course, and the train was off and away once I was off so no way to tell the driver

 

[Monty]

To be blunt not much, worse case is lock the carriage out of use but if its a last drunk train aka one of the last back newspaper thrown down has to do, not the nicest but some things just cannot be avoided.

This

It happens unfortunately all to often. I can only echo the sentiments of ANorthernGuard, still best to inform the guard or other onboard train crew. Even if all we can do at that time is move people out of the coach and lock it out of use at least we can make sure the train is cleaned for use the next day.

 

[trainophile]

I've never agreed with people drinking alcohol that they have brought with them on board public transport. There should be a rule that they can only consume drink bought on board. At least there would be some control as to quantity, and hopefully quality! Also at about £3 a can, and more for wine/spirits, most people would think twice about buying more than one.

I do appreciate that this would be impossible to enforce though. We don't want to introduce bag searches, do we?

 

[jopsuk]

impossible to enforce, beyond random checks, on a mainly unbarried, DOO route such as those that 315s run on...

 

[Nestor]

Or if he was feeling a bit sick he probably shouldn't have boarded a train until his stomach had calmed down.

I once ate some dodgy food in a foreign restaurant and didn't feel well but my hotel was a 3 mile Metro ride across the city. I didn't try to get back until the hotel at first and threw up twice before boarding the
Metro back and travelled back without any further problem.

If the food looked/tasted dodgy why scoff it down & what's the problem with a foreign restaurant!!

 

[yorksrob]

I've never agreed with people drinking alcohol that they have brought with them on board public transport. There should be a rule that they can only consume drink bought on board. At least there would be some control as to quantity, and hopefully quality! Also at about £3 a can, and more for wine/spirits, most people would think twice about buying more than one.

I do appreciate that this would be impossible to enforce though. We don't want to introduce bag searches, do we?

And who's to say that everyone who brings their own drink on board is not drinking quality - or is the one throwing up ?

Drunk tank and strong fines would do the Country good - in general and not just on the railways.

 

[Ferret]

And who's to say that everyone who brings their own drink on board is not drinking quality - or is the one throwing up ?

Drunk tank and strong fines would do the Country good - in general and not just on the railways.

Truth.

Tell me, at what point did we cease to enforce existing laws on being drunk and disorderly?!

With facetious hat firmly on, isn't there a byelaw that refers to 'soiling the railway'? Surely a good enough reason to evict such a miscreant!

 

[yorksrob]

With facetious hat firmly on, isn't there a byelaw that refers to 'soiling the railway'? Surely a good enough reason to evict such a miscreant!

I don't know if it exists bit I've always thought it should do. Also for the miscreants who let their smelly mutts crap on the stairs at Leeds station.

 

[trainophile]

I'd like to see the guidelines for "soiling the railway". Presumably every discarded Metro would fall into that category!

 

[yorksrob]

Well, newspapers can be a bonus as well as a curse. Admittedly the Metro can be a bit ubiquitous, but I can remember forgetting my National newspaper at work and being very pleased to find a disguarded copy on the train home !

 

[Skimble19]

This issue raises its head regular on LO. The biggest problem is that you cannot lock out a coach on a class 378. If it stinks that much and we dont have any cleaning staff on duty, i take the train out of service.

I must admit it slightly concerns me that the new TL stock will be like this.. Potentially an entire 12 car train could be taken out of service because of an incident of this nature, as opposed to now when a single carriage or unit would be.

 

[Oswyntail]

And what if the guy was suffering from "Winter Vomiting", norovirus(?). Or cluster migraine? Vomiting for two hours seems a tad extreme, even for a serious drunkard. Tell the guard (or the driver on a DOO) - it might be a serious incident.

 

[yorksrob]

And what if the guy was suffering from "Winter Vomiting", norovirus(?). Or cluster migraine? Vomiting for two hours seems a tad extreme, even for a serious drunkard. Tell the guard (or the driver on a DOO) - it might be a serious incident.

Norovirus. Not wishing to dwell on the experience except to say that that phase was shorter and more extreme.

 

[Chapeltom]

And what if the guy was suffering from "Winter Vomiting", norovirus(?). Or cluster migraine? Vomiting for two hours seems a tad extreme, even for a serious drunkard. Tell the guard (or the driver on a DOO) - it might be a serious incident.

He was leaning down every so often but from boarding to exiting the train, he was pretty much always heaving, attempting to be sick or being sick.

Sure he was ok, got off the train fine.

 

[tsr]

And who's to say that everyone who brings their own drink on board is not drinking quality - or is the one throwing up ?

I must confess that I once vomited heavily all over the table of a Class 373 at Paris Gare du Nord, just as it terminated - this was in the early days of the Eurostar service, and I was much younger and wasn't as used to high-speed tilting trains as I am now, and as a result was suddenly and unexpectedly travelsick in broad view of the public! We can all be revolting sometimes, and not everyone who's sick everywhere is drunk! At least I had a non-alcohol-related excuse.

I don't know if it exists bit I've always thought it should do. Also for the miscreants who let their smelly mutts crap on the stairs at Leeds station.

In seriousness, see Byelaws 6 and 16(3&5). http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/railway-byelaws/railway-byelaws.pdf

I must admit it slightly concerns me that the new TL stock will be like this.. Potentially an entire 12 car train could be taken out of service because of an incident of this nature, as opposed to now when a single carriage or unit would be.

If the manufacturers (etc.) have any sense, the emergency door ventilation barriers (such as there may be) would be able to be attached to the handrails beside the corridor passages/gangways, in order to block off sections of the train. I suppose that's probably taking lateral thinking too far...

And what if the guy was suffering from "Winter Vomiting", norovirus(?). Or cluster migraine? Vomiting for two hours seems a tad extreme, even for a serious drunkard. Tell the guard (or the driver on a DOO) - it might be a serious incident.

I'd hope that the passenger might try to ask for help. People manage to ask strangers for assistance or push emergency alarms in the direst situations, including when ill. If I saw someone vomit continuously for that long, though, I'd activate PASCOM (DOO) or talk to the guard (non-DOO) and request medical support - the effects of dehydration alone may become severe after two hours of continuous vomiting.

 

[craigwilson]

I must admit it slightly concerns me that the new TL stock will be like this.. Potentially an entire 12 car train could be taken out of service because of an incident of this nature, as opposed to now when a single carriage or unit would be.

Would it be a full 12-car like this though? Surely it would still be 3 x 4-cars, with the end of each set gangwayed, but with the interior of each individual set like a ? So you'd only ever need to lock out one 4-car set?

 

[yorksrob]

In seriousness, see Byelaws 6 and 16(3&5). http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/railway-byelaws/railway-byelaws.pdf

Thanks - that pretty much covers everything as far as I can see !

 

[MCR247]

Would it be a full 12-car like this though? Surely it would still be 3 x 4-cars, with the end of each set gangwayed, but with the interior of each individual set like a ? So you'd only ever need to lock out one 4-car set?

The new TL stock will be formed of 8 and 12 car multiple units. No 4 car business

 

[yorksrob]

The new TL stock will be formed of 8 and 12 car multiple units. No 4 car business

This has possibly been covered elsewhere, but out of interest, what are the 8-car units going to do during the rush hour ?

 

[tsr]

Thanks - that pretty much covers everything as far as I can see !

It does, doesn't it?

I particularly enjoy contrasting the behaviour of commuters on station stairs in inner London with the words of Byelaw 9(4)...

 

[MattRobinson]

I must also admit to throwing up twice on trains, neither time due to drunkenness and both quite unexpectedly.

The first was when I was at 6th form college, when, during the course of a normal conversation, I opened my mouth to speak and threw up all over myself, my friend and the train. Oops. But the weird thing was that I don't at any point remember feeling ill at any point leading up to that conversation.

The second was quite recently, I had to run across Leeds station to get my train, which seemed to stir up my breakfast. I felt a little queasy- but not sick- until I got up to get off the train at Keighley, at which point I threw up in the vestibule. Oops.

The first was a surprise to everyone- including me- so no way to avoid that. The second was probably more avoidable, but although I felt slightly queasy, I didn't feel like I was going to throw up until I was locked on the train and couldn't get anywhere better...

 

[BestWestern]

I must admit it slightly concerns me that the new TL stock will be like this.. Potentially an entire 12 car train could be taken out of service because of an incident of this nature, as opposed to now when a single carriage or unit would be.

I agree. There are obvious problems with not being able to lock a vehicle out of use, is there seriously no facility to do it at all? That is plainly a stupid design if that's the case