AIBU to think the Quiet coach of the train isn't the most appropriate place for noisy/badly behaved small children

[ComposHat]

Took a recent long distance train journey and because I wanted to work I booked a seat in the train's quiet coach.

However this turned out to be a bit of a forlorn hope due to the presence of very loud children (maybe 4 and 7) who spent the duration of the journey running up and down the aisles, shouting and screaming , whilst their parents made no effort to control them.

Now I don't blame the kids as they can get bored and irritable nor did I expect them to sit on silence, but what on earth were their parents thinking taking them into a carriage of people who had specified a QUIET traveling experience.?

AIBU to expect them to move to a different area of the train, especially as there were plenty of seats throughout the train?

[Boomerwang]

I had no idea there were such things as a quiet carriage. Do you pay extra for this privilege? Is the area off limits to children usually?

[mothmagnet]

Yanbu. What's the point of having the carriage otherwise?

[LadySybilDeChocolate]

I think you were sitting on the same train as me. Children should behave, it doesn't matter where they are.

[Pozzled]

I have actually been given reserved seats in the quiet coach before now when booking for adults and a child with a family railcard- how daft is that? But as soon as we realised, we moved.

If the train had been crowded, I would have said that you were BU, but with plenty of seats available, they should have gone to another carriage. And even in a 'normal' carriage, they should have been kept reasonably quiet and still. Yanbu.

[ComposHat]

boomerwang they are usually on Virgin trains - no phones, music etc. Usually they are an absolute godsend.

[DilysPrice]

Sometimes you have no choice because you get dumped there when you book your seats, but if there were enough seats elsewhere then YABU, v inconsiderate.

[IUseTooMuchKitchenRoll]

Is it made clear that it is supposed to be a quiet coach?

If so, YANBU, and those parents were selfish arseholes.

[IneedAbetterNicknameIn2012]

YANBU! Me and my 2DS (7 and 5) often do the 2 1/2 hour train journey to visit my DB.
We would NEVER sit in the quiet carriage, despite the fact that when they asked, they promised to be quiet in fact, we ended up sitting on the fold up seats in the corridor bit, as it was the only space, other than the quiet carriage!
I agree with Pozzled that even in a 'normal' carriage they should have been fairly quiet and sat down! We travel armed with books, colouring stuff and card games for that exact reason.

[samandi]

YA DEFINITELY NBU. They should have been moved from that coach if they couldn't adhere to the rules. Usually there is only ONE quiet coach and the rest of the train is not. They must be extremely stupid and disrespectful parents.

[heyannie]

I would have asked the staff to throw them out. Train staff are usually sticklers for rules and would happily oblige.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I don't think the quiet coach is the right place for normal-behaved children, tbh. My DS1 seems unable to ever moderate his voice. I think we got stuck in a quiet carriage once, but we do our level best to avoid them.

[ComposHat]

Obviously I would have no problem with them being there if the train were full. But I would have hoped that the parents would have explained to their kids that they needed to be extra good and extra quiet for the journey.

[DilysPrice]

(oops, I meant YANBU, sorry)

[bringmesunshine2009]

I wouldn't want to see em in the quiet carriage or not. Good behaviour is impossible to guarantee.

[kerala]

YANBU bloody annoying even if not in the quiet carriage doubly annoying as they were.

[ComposHat]

This is reassuring that I've not turned into a misanthrope over night, but would some tell me I'm being unreasonable, just to break things up a bit?

[RillaBlythe]

I've been given reserved seats on the quiet carriage when I've booked with family railcard before now. Seems silly.

[dexter73]

Yanbu - massively annoying.

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

Yanbu. I always book quiet coach when travelling alone. It's a treat for myself, and blissful.

I've known conductors ask families to move, also gangs of rowdy teens and businessmen on very loud phone calls.

You must have been unlucky for them not to act.

[Daughteroflilith]

I sometimes go to see my parents by train, and I am often booked into the quiet carriage. Possibly because I am a single person, so likely to be quiet anyway. But I'm now without a job, and I'm eager to take calls from recruitment agencies (got a call at 11 today offering me an interview at 3pm on Monday), so I would be annoyed at being booked into a quiet carriage without mobile access.

[Whatmeworry]

Well, at least the plonkesr on their mobile phones in teh quiet carriage would have been disturbed.

I have Complained to the Conductor once about this

[ComposHat]

As you can specify 'quiet coach' on the booking form online, it might be handy if you could specify NOT quiet coach, if you know/suspect your kids will play up or you need to make calls.

[missmuddle]

yabu with my family railcard i am frequently booked reserved seats in quiet coach i have discussed this with gner and the term quiet is in relation to technology not children - usually can't move carraige as its always busy plus its difficult with two children and luggage to try and locate another 3 seats together
The poeple you need to be annoyed with are not the children or the parents but the rail companies who insist on booking people using family railcards in the quiet coach.

[BertieBotts]

I think you should be able to request a "noisy coach" too

When I travelled by train last year I was told to use the wheelchair space for DS's pushchair (loaded up with all our luggage) as long as it wasn't needed by a wheelchair user. Guess where the only wheelchair space is...?

[RubyrooUK]

You are being unreasonable.*


*Well, not really but you wanted some disagreement. I've got a toddler and it's my worst nightmare to get stuck in a quiet coach with him shouting "uh-oh" every two seconds in my ear.