To get irrationally angry at train behaviour

[MisanthropeLikely]

I'm not an angry person, but I'm thinking I might be becoming a Victor Meldrew when travelling. Particularly by train. Particularly long distance. Specific behaviour that enrages me:

1. People that have loud phone conversations or video calls on trains

1. People on long train journeys with limited space in the luggage rack who selfishly put their small bags on it rather than in the overhead, meaning people with larger cases have no space to put it

1. People who spend ages farting around standing in the aisle during boarding so no one can pass.

1. People who act like it's the Olympic 100m in their rush to get off

1. Men who manspread into the aisle

1. People who sit on your reserved seat and then refuse to move.

1. Lone travellers who take up 4 seater sections, preventing people in groups from sitting together

1. People who ostentatiously poo on trains. I mean, I get you sometimes have to go but some of the things people do are disgusting

1. Listening to music or watching videos with no headphones

10. Train stations that are massive but wait until 10 minutes before the train to tell you your platform so you need to have a stress race to make it with your bags.

11. People who wont move their bags off seats on an obviously full train.

I get irrationally angry about this stuff. My worst ever experiences were:

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.

Another time I was boarding a eurostar in an intense heatwave after a huge delay. It was roasting, I'd been standing at the gate for two solid hours in menopause sweats with a load of heavy bags. They started boarding. It's about 29 steps down to the platform, and a ramp os provided for people with luggage. The attendant was at the top of the ramp telling everyone who did not have luggage to take the stairs.

Anyway, there I am struggling to keep ny heavy suitcase from rolling right down the ramp and taking me with it, and some woman with no luggage at all aside from her small handbag decided to walk down the luggage ramp and overtake everyone on the inside. As there was no space, she moved her legs into my suitcase and then shouted at me "YOUR SUITCASE IS ON MY LEGS, WHY DONT YOU WATCH WHERE YIUR GOING"

I flushed bright red and said "I'm going downhill with a heavy bag I can barely control, multiple other bags and you walked into me trying to overtske", she turned and sniggered at me. A real deep, patronising snigger.

I still hold a grudge a year later.

Does anyone else experience these feelings or is it just me? I am petrified of flying so travel extensively by rail and I am at a point where I don't enjoy travelling because I feel so irrationally cross at inconsiderate and rude people.

Anyone else?

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.

My particular hate is people who put their bags on the inside seat and sit on the outside seat themselves. I mean it's clear they have no intention of moving their bags if they can possibly help it and they studiously avoid eye contact with people coming on the train who have to stand. I don't mind people putting their bags on the outside seat and removing them as the train gets fuller but these other people? I had a journey once Where'd this happened and for a stop or so I assumed there was someone in the loo or somewhere who would be coming back shortly. When I realized this wasn't the case I politely asked if the person on the outside could move her bags and either let me into the inner seat or move their herself. Result was deep sigh, stroppy attitude and reluctant movement of bags. At this point I did politely ask if she had bought her case a ticket because I had one and could show it to her if she liked, much to the suppressed mirth of the people on the opposite side of the 4 seater table seats. 😁

I agree with you except for two things.

People on long train journeys with limited space in the luggage rack who selfishly put their small bags on it rather than in the overhead, meaning people with larger cases have no space to put it

I have a disability and on a bad day I can’t lift my bag onto the overhead rack, but I can lift it into the luggage rack.

It's about 29 steps down to the platform, and a ramp os provided for people with luggage

Due to the same disability, I find steps difficult and a ramp easier.

People on long train journeys with limited space in the luggage rack who selfishly put their small bags on it rather than in the overhead

Not everyone can reach the overhead luggage racks, or lift their bags up that high.

If there's room between the seats, I keep my bag between my knees, but someone with a bad knee or bad hip might not be able to do that.

I still send out bad vibes into the universe for the man who got on the train and moved my bag on the overhead rack so he could place his own bag directly above his seat. Rather than slotting it in wherever there was a free space, you know, like a normal person. I did point out to him at the time that this wasn't on, but he ignored me, the twat.

Completely fair! Disabled folks should get priority with everything needed to accommodate their needs. I remember once travelling with my son in a wheelchair as he'd injured himself, and people still pushed us out if the way and made it really hard to get on and off because they couldn't just wait two seconds.

The late platform announcements are so stressful. If it's an unfamiliar journey you have no idea which platform is likely to be used and then no idea how far it is and a whole train stampeding and trying to board in a few minutes.

Also, people trying to board a train before everyone has got off.e

Lone travellers who take up 4 seater sections, preventing people in groups from sitting together

They may just be sitting in their reserved seat, though. You don’t always get a choice.

Exactly. I often have lots of bags and some stations have platforms all over the place, if you've got loads of bags and need to get multiple lifts or escalators it's so stressful trying to make the train. In Europe they usually give you much more time.

I love the concept of ostentatious pooing 😂

I also hate ostentatious YAWNING. Like when people make a big performance of it with arms out and everything.

Oh God. I sound like a monster.

Lone travellers sitting in a four seater section aren’t taking up the section. They’re just sitting in one seat. Other people are welcome to join them.

They’re occupying a shared space designed for groups, families, or those travelling together. These areas are limited and clearly intended to allow people to sit facing each other, not to give one person a superior seat. The solo passenger has plenty of alternatives: choosing the most communal spot for individual comfort—while others struggle to find a place together—is just selfish. This is a hill I'm prepared to die on, it drives me mad seeing people with young kids unable to find suitable seating because every 4 seater is taken by some yahoo with a laptop

Oh I'm with you. I dislike performative sneezing.

But ostentatious pooing makes it sound like it's being done with a flourish - a bit of glamour and panache.

You just made me laugh out loud. There's a German compound noun considered very crude (pardon my French) "Heimscheißer". It literally means “home shitter.”

It’s a slang term used to describe someone who won’t leave the house, especially someone who only feels comfortable at home—even to the point of refusing to go on holiday or sleep elsewhere because they prefer their own toilet.

I feel I've aged into one of those people. I'd need to be in a medical emergency to poo on a train but some people just seem brazen about the train poo. The sheer confidence of it.

I might be imagining all this and they might just unexpectedly need a poo.

And LOL at performative sneezing. I know exactly what you mean!!!

Regarding individuals sitting at tables though, you're assuming all larger groups on a train are 4 people and want to deny solo passengers the seat with a bigger table. Lots of groups are 2 or 3 so they can join a partially filled table.

Ah solo travellers, the easy targets.

Perhaps you need to flag up to the train operators who allocate seat numbers.

Having followed a recent thread OP,

What’s your view on train picnics?

They do it on trains with no reserved seats though. And almost always put their bag on the other seat and cover the table with their laptop. It's like staking territory.

I saw a woman do this last Friday on a really busy train. Like it was maybe 12 carriages and I had to walk through 10 to even find a seat at all. And she'd taken a 4 seater and put her bags and things everywhere.

Anyway, the train set off and she thought she was in the clear but at the next stop even more people boarded so a couple came and sat in her 4 with her.

I watched as she got up, picked up all her things (which was a suitcase and two other bags) and said to the couple "I'll just move to give you two more room" and swanned off down to the next carriage.

Doubt she found another seat but she obviously had no intention of sharing the space!

If people are having fun, like an outing, I'm okay with that. I was recently on a train to Ipswich right before some kind of Ed Sheeran concert and people had picnics and booze and that didn't annoy me - they were just having fun rather than being entitled, thoughtless and selfish.

I do get irrationally angry at people trying to eat crisps quietly though. It's much worse than just munching. It's a sort of slow munch.

I was on a long journey from England to Scotland.
There was a father and son over the aisle from me.
The son and father were talking about their Christmas lists. The father was very loud and childish himself . After several hours it became obvious that. He was expecting his partner to cater to his Christmas lists much like his son… it had things like gaming stations and what super sized pack chocolates he wanted.
it was a lot more than fatherly banter.
The loudness and immaturity of this man-child gave me the absolute rage .. and still does.

Watching videos without headphones should result in a ban from all trains forever. I don't know how they'll enforce that but it's so annoying.

Also, people with massive suitcases completely blocking the exit so you can't get off the train at Clapham Junction

People getting off the train there and not going anywhere, that's not a place to stand and think, move yourself over out the way

People not getting on and sitting down quickly

All forms of fucking about

People generally. Argh

I agree with everything else but not this. I travel by train a lot for work. I need to use the 4 hours to Leeds or wherever to work. And I have as much right as anyone else to reserve a seat at a table.

but perhaps you should try travelling with fewer bags ?

i cannot understand those who sit in reserved seats and then wont move.
those who keep their bags on the seats and wont move them