To want people to SHUT UP in the quiet carriage?

[FallingOver]

Late night train, almost deserted. Handful of people in the quiet carriage. Silence apart from two people who are chatting at the top of their voices, especially the young woman of the couple, who has regaled the carriage with how drunk she is right now, her 17st friend, what she's studying at Uni, her future career plans - all punctuated by the most asinine and penetrating laugh I have ever heard.

WIBU to go over and tell them to be quiet or else move their v loud conversation to a non-quiet carriage?

Mumsnet jury - you decide.

Exactly, Eveho, I'd rather not be in the quiet carriage for the same reason.

You can't expect kids to be quiet in the quiet carriage. In school holiday commutes it's a given that children and babies will be in the carriage and all bets are off. They can't help being chattery and noisy - adults can though.

I agree eveho - sometimes it is preferable to sit in a normal carriage and just have the noise all around, rather than sit in the quiet carriage and feeling quietly enraged at the one person listening to happy hardcore or whatever. Less stressful!

completely reasonable. after all on (my) train there are 9 out of 10 carriages that are not quiet coachs so they have plenty of choice.
I always ask politely for them to be quiet and usually they do.

Completely reasonable. A few years ago I was travelling down to London for work with colleagues in a quiet coach. We genuinely didn't realise that conversation should be kept to a minimum and chattered away most of the way. When we got to Euston a lady approached me to tell me exactly that. I was horrified and wished she'd told us on the train rather than sat there seething because we could have moved or just shut up. I still feel bad about that journey!

I love you, OP.

And for those that say "Sometimes you can't help it." yes, you can. You can move to another carriage. You can READ the signs all over -- including the sign on the outside of the carriage, the carriage door, every second window, that says QUIET ZONE.

Would you rather be thought illiterate or arrogant?

I thought that Quiet Carriage just meant "no electronic noises or mobile phone convos". Not "no ordinary conversation"? They were introduced in response to Sony Walkman-type headphone overspill.

I wouldn't feel aggrieved at people chattering, or children doing all the (non-electronic) things that children do.

I just checked the rules of the quiet carriage. Apart from electronic devices in silent mode and no making or receiving phone calls, it states:

'If chatting with fellow passengers, please do so quietly and with consideration for others.'

Chattering away at the top of one's voice without a thought of anyone else isn't really on, in my opinion - even if it is the school holidays or half term. It's good for children to learn to be quiet from time to time.

Think it must be different on differetn lines - this is the sign on south west trains
www.southwesttrains.co.uk/uploads/quietzones.bmp

If you book with Virgin online and are allocated Quiet Zone when you don't want it or are travelling with children, you can contact them immediately via their online chat option and change your ticket :)