To screech STFU in the quiet coach

[ParadiseCity]

Argh

I booked a t train a couple of weeks ago and ended up in the quiet carriage, it hadn't given me an option when I booked tickets. And my mum phoned me, she wasn't to know and she was in hospital so I wasn't going to ignore her call. I tried to talk really quietly but then she couldn't hear me. I hope I didn't piss anyone off.

When you get a call in that situation, you leave your seat & take the cal in the vestibule. Otherwise you will piss people off. Most people in the Quiet Carriage have deliberately booked to be there because they want quiet.

But I do think the train companies need to take responsibility for passengers booking seats ahead of time - unless there are no other available seats in the rest of the train, it's unfair to everyone to put people in the QC who haven't specifically requested to be there.

I told a woman having a loudspeaker(!!) phone convo on the train last week. She was sat right under the sign/picture of "no phones" as well.

I have done it loads of times. One man on his VERY IMPORTANT call tried to shush me when I politely told him it was a quiet zone, so I talked back over him loudly enough for his phone callee to hear for sure. He left the carriage not long after that.

it's unfair to everyone to put people in the QC who haven't specifically requested to be there.

I agree. But some of the behaviour that pp are talking about should be seen as bad manners anywhere in a train. Not using headphones, having headphones so loud that others around you can hear, allowing children to shout or run up & down the aisles, talking/shouting amongst groups or across a carriage, loud phone conversations. All of this is uncivilised behaviour & people should behave better in public.

When you get a call in that situation, you leave your seat & take the cal in the vestibule.

This. Everyone has surprise calls they really do need to take, sometimes. But step out of the main carriage while you have that call.

If you booked the QC turn the phone off. O-double-F OFF.

If you didn't - put it in silent and if it rings take the call between carriages. Whoever you are and however important the call,

Do it!! I was in an overcrowded train from Berwick upon Tweed to Glasgow once, people standing in the aisles crowded. A hen party on their way to Edinburgh (train briefly stopped there) were already absolutely slaughtered and started singing, loudly and terribly. Upon murdering one song, one hen called out, 'Any requests?' and a blessed voice rang out, 'Yeah, shut the fuck up!' Bliss.

It's a quiet carriage, not silent. Chatting is fine.

Yes, but not at such a level that sitting eight rows behind, for four long hours I learnt everything about this guys daughters, one went to St Andrews to study geography but didn't like it , so took the very brave decision to transfer to Edinburgh. Not many young people would do this !!!! I could tell you exactly where he lives, his wife and daughters names, their partners names where they work etc, etc . Where the are going and where they have been on holiday for the last 10 years!!!
Unfortunately I didn't have the guts to say anything and neither did anyone else.
Even with earphones I had to turn the volume on my iPad up really high.

Even with earphones I had to turn the volume on my iPad up really high.

This increasing the annoyance for other people who can't stand the tinny noise leaking out of people's earphones. (No earphones are leak-proof.)

I'm sorry - I understand why you'd do that, but you then become part of the problem!

The thing that strikes me is that a lot of the behaviour that is problematic in the Quiet Coach, is equally rude in any carriage. Who has conversations at such a volume or pitch that everyone in the carriage can hear? Or has music on so loud that anyone can hear that annoying "thump-thump"? Or allows children to play noisy computer games with devices at high volume & no earphones yes, on a trip to Scotland in the Quiet Carriage or watch a video without headphones? Just, who does that anywhere? It's just downright rude.