To get irrationally angry at train behaviour

@Namechangerage
Recently I was waiting for the train loo. A man went in before me. Well, once he came out, he’d pissed everywhere, all over the seat, surfaces, floor. When I came out, having tried my best to put down tissues, he was on the phone and I shouted ‘you dirty pig’

Sorry but that has really made me laugh! 😂

I was on a train once and this man had vrazely taken our reserved seats despite them being marked reserved and other empty seats. He'd set himself up some kind of fucking buffet on our table with a cloth and everything, then when I politely asked him to move, he told me to go and sit somewhere else because I was disturbing his meal.

YANBU for your clear points and still holding a grudge against the suitcase to leg woman

YABU for only giving half of this story. What did you say back to him? Did he move? Did you throttle him with his red-checked picnic cloth?

Oh god no!! I think it’s just we’ve reached the age where we can’t put up with this bullshit anymore. After years and years of it.

Recently I was waiting for the train loo. A man went in before me. Well, once he came out, he’d pissed everywhere, all over the seat, surfaces, floor. When I came out, having tried my best to put down tissues, he was on the phone and I shouted ‘you dirty pig’

I also hate people who have full on chat-style phone calls on loud speaker - why not get headphones or just wait until you’re off the train? Different if it’s a quick “hi I’m going to be there at 5” etc.

I was with you until what would be #7. I travel alone often and often pay / reserve a seat at a 4 seater as it has a table is more comfortable and I want that. Just because I’m by myself doesn’t mean I should sit in the crappier seats.

Two sets of male shoulders don't always sit comfortably across small seats. I'd do the same in their position.

As its public transport you have to learn to take the rough with the smooth.

Use an app that gives the platform number (generally correct).
Use noise cancelling headphones.
Understand that putting luggage in the overhead is impossible for many reasons.
etc.

FWIW i took a train at the weekend and although the carriage was chock-full with passengers and massive suitcases, the atmosphere was buzzing with a holiday atmosphere. Lovely.

OP, YANBU, However my DP does a daily commute and complains about most of your points and is VU! 😂 Or maybe I’m lacking empathy! I’ll show him your thread when he’s back he’ll feel seen ✌🏿😂

Hernameisdeborah

YANBU. People who board then stand in the aisle, taking their sweet time over finding their seat, putting away their luggage, very slowly sorting out their coat and coffee cup and snacks, oblivious to other people who then can’t get to their seat and creating a backlog of people left standing on the platform due to the traffic jam they have created, they drive me nuts.

These are probably the people out for a day trip or going on holiday. I love seeing people like this, reminds me of going places when I was younger.

I also feel the need to defend people on their own who sit in a four seat section- if I don’t know how many people are going to get on why shouldn’t I sit there and get a proper table and some extra comfort? Saying that I move if I see a group looking for a space.

I think sometimes people who don’t travel a lot by train actually don’t know about the reserving thing, my friends’ uncle was snapped at by a guy who had booked a seat and said he was fed up of it happening, I’ve met her uncle, he’s a mouse, Id say it really upset him and he probably didn’t go by train for a while after that

I travel once a month on EMR and I usually go first class. Makes me sound a bit ooh la la I know but it’s sometimes only a few quid more than standard. Anyway, whenever I book I always request an individual seat. That’s the closest description to the single seats I can find. Without fail when I get on the train I find myself booked on a 4 seater. I usually will grab a single seat if there’s one free but there have been times when I’ve had to sit in my reserved seat, usually with a couple, and it’s so awkward. I just can’t seem to crack which seat to select when I book! Anyway, us solo travellers are not always trying to bag a 4 seater, I prefer to sit in peace by myself.

I thought you op was a bit OTT but willing to let it go but you’ve lost me now. I generally travel alone so you think I shouldn’t take a seat I like because I should sacrifice in case a family wants to sit there? You can fuck off with that, women are expected to sacrifice themselves enough and I see no reason I shouldn’t sit at a forward facing table if I want to and it’s free, it’s not my job to facilitate other people having failed to book, I think they will survive not sitting together for a train journey.

It’s always fun when you get a group of people boarding a packed commuter train in rush hour and expecting to be able to sit together - not going to happen, however much they huff about it! Bonus points if they all have giant suitcases.

Oh and here's a special Eurostar one. People who get off the train with their human sized suitcase and saunter towards the exit chatting away. Its so lovely you've come on a city break to London, it really is, but i need you to hurry the fuck along as I am about to miss my connection.

Not everything on your list can be mitigated, OP, but 2 things have helped keep my blood pressure down in recent years:

1. realtimetrains.co.uk - you’ll know your platform ahead of the station updates
2. noise cancelling headphones

I much prefer the aisle seat to the window if I'm alone. I'll happily move a bag or get up to let someone in and I don't avoid eye contact or pretend to be asleep.. actually if it's getting busy I'll move my bag before anyone asks but I'll keep my aisle seat.

The quiet carriage is not the silent carriage. You are allowed to talk in there to someone actually with you. Sure don't be loud, pissed, screeching with laughter but you can converse quietly. If you need total silence drive or get good headphones. It's a public space.

Totally disagree with the table one. It's not a space intended for four, it's a bookable table for anyone. If it's that crucial you need a group space, book it.

Overall, a lot, though not all, peeves would be solved if people use their words and politely but firmly ask people to move, turn down music etc. I do it all the time. Almost always get compliance and I'm a tiny woman, not intimidating or anything. I used to travel a lot with my small kids and would persist for our booked seats (sat DD on the table once when some twat refused to move), got the conductor involved on another occasion. My kids are teens now travelling without me and I'm continuing to teach them how to be v considerate but also assertive when required.

You have my generous but not entirely full sympathy.

Because I get irrationally annoyed when people call railway stations "train stations".

I frequently need a table to work on. So no, I don't default to allowing families to sit there. For me, the pressure of work is more important than the feelings of people I don't know.

A bit of a niche one - I was once on a train and my suitcase in the rack got 'buried' by multiple other cases. I could see this had happened and that it might take me some time to get it out, so I made sure to get out of my seat early to move all the other cases. I was in a window seat with a random man next to me in the aisle. I politely asked him to let me out, and got a patronising explanation that we were still 5 minutes away from the station so it was too early to get up. It was a route I was extremely familiar with so I knew exactly how far I was from the station - it really pissed me off.

Bearing in mind this child is now 14...

Pushing past me trying to getvthe pushchair with a tired toddler onto the (delayed) train, while visibly pregnant to claim the seats next to the disabled space where you can also put the pushchair if a disabled person doesn't need it.

I always travel alone. Sometimes I want to sit at a table. Table seats aren’t just for the convenience of groups of people travelling together. YABU and selfish to assume that.

Eating hot food on trains, the smell is gross

Yes I have and they ignore like the selfish twats they are

I hate people who leave all their litter on their seat/table when they leave the train so the next person getting on has to either sit surrounded by all the litter or take it to the bin themselves. Just take your litter with you, you lazy fuckers.

I also get very annoyed with people who stop right at the top/bottom of stairs or right outside the train doors to faff around with the handle on their suitcase. Just move to one side!

Gentle parenting of obnoxious brats (created by the gentle parenting) who are driving other passengers MAD.

'Oh Jacinta, that's a lovely drawing darling. Do try not to spill your juice on the nice lady.'

Has happened to me more than once (the gentle parented brats, not the juice LOL).

Have you ever tried saying excuse me?

They have plenty of time to fuck about with their luggage once everyone else is seated. To block the aisles while twatting about with luggage so that nobody else can get past them means that people who have boarded at the other end of the carriage after you have now got on the train and taken all the seats despite you being one of the first in the queue to board. It’s just downright selfish and self centred. Let people get on the train and find a seat first, then once everyone is seated you can then get up and fuck about in the aisle getting all your snacks, iPad and whatever out of your bag.