Sick of train driver just passing me

[gypsytrampandthief]

Twice this week the driver "hasn't seen me" (despite today standing as close to the track as is reasonably safe and waving) Yesterday morning he didn't stop and I drove to the next station, passing the train, and got to the platform where he had pulled in for a group of teenage female students going to college. I was so furious I spoke to the ticket inspector and explained that this is the second time the driver has gone right by me. For complete transparency, the first time I was looking at my phone and late to wave, but ffs, why else would anyone be standing on an empty platform at 7.10 in the morning! Yesterday I was 100% looking up and arm out.

AIBU to think that a dumpy middle aged woman is not as "visible" as a teenage student?

This will be avoided if OPs provide context rather than limited information then disappear while posters argue back and forth.

That’s really frustrating. I know on the train journey I use regularly the Conductor asks when you get on what station you want. There should be a reverse option too. If the station isn’t manned, and the small ones probably won’t be there should be a call button. With so many tickets being purchased online you’d think there could be a system in place for this.

we have another near us not on that list too…

I know about these request stops. There are a couple along the track to North Wales that stops at my very busy town station. You have to ask for them to stop if you want to get off, or wave your hand if you want to get on. There are also some in Cumbria, I don't know where else, but that list posted earlier is not comprehensive. It's not the best of places to be getting on or off a train. Personally I'd hate it.

Actually two!! Ffs lol

Some Highland lines have request stops.

I only know this from watching Geoff Marshall videos on YT.

not all of them, some are request stops.

Station Request Stop

The two request stops I use aren't listed either, what an odd list!

Clearly, you need to channel your inner Cha Cha De Gregorio (sp?)…

Get used to it. I saw something recently about how only “white cis-gendered women” get the “invisible at 50” thing, because they were automatically noticed when they were younger.

I’m not sure this is true. Sure, I may have been noticed more than some others in my younger days, but I know that I was ignored a lot because I wasn’t good looking/striking/whatever. But I can STILL tell that I’m experiencing a whole new level of ignored now.

Anyway, I suggest a perky set of tits, and spray on capri pants (with relevant scaffolding underneath) so out least in outline you appear to be a much younger woman.

Hi viz! I've had that happen to me too many times at my local station, but not since donning a hi viz jacket when I need to flag it.

Interesting and vaguely related fact.
The least used station in the West Midlands region is not a request stop but has one stop scheduled a week.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordesleyrailwayy_station

Another vote for high viz.

I used to have a belt and shoulder strap when I was on my bike.

my nearest rail
line has several request stops one after another. That's for getting on and getting off the train

@marcopront that used to be my local station

My mum and aunt were in that situation, back when slam doors were a thing. They jumped out anyway, so they didn’t miss their stop, not realising it’s about a five foot drop from the train to the ground if you aren’t fully in the station. Muddy, too. They were in 1960s knee boots and miniskirts, so not dressed for a big jump into some muddy bushes.

They then had to do the walk of shame up the tracks and up the ramp onto the platform, where everyone was looking at them.

Austrian request stops are like this. There’s a button on the platform, which I assume sends some kind of signal down the track to the driver. There’s also one inside the train, so you don’t have to go looking for the conductor.

And did you catch a train from there?

You shouldn’t have to but buy one of those reflective tops and wear it on the platform… Here or Here

and complain every time they don’t stop.

I didn’t know they existed but I read the OP and thought “Oh, she must live somewhere where you flag down the train like a bus”. My second thought was “But I bet 90% of her thread will now be about the topic of request stop trains and not her actual issue”. The baffling thing to me is all the posters assuming OP is stupid and doesn’t know how her local train works!

@marcopront I def got off trains there, not sure if I caught trains from there also. I left that area 22 yrs ago

Train must be going the speed of a snail if you can get back I your car and overtake it.. How's that work, genuine question.

So do several lines around Bath.

This sort of thing does infuriate me OP. It may or may not be about you being a middle-aged woman and may or may not be more about the stop you are at being infrequently used or in some other way not a stop the driver is paying much attention to. But it would be pretty easy for the track operating company to put something in a button you could press that would put a red signal up. then there would be no question about whether the driver was ignoring women/ethnic minorities/disabled people/etc. It would just be necessary to show he didn’t stop for a stop signal.