Easter Special

It's very easy to get used to a routine when you catch trains - the same train into work & home (although I haven't quite got that down pat yet). If you catch the same train, you see the same people getting on in the same places, taking the same seats, etc. Some people get very upset when there's someone in "their" seat, or someone sitting with "their" friend(s), which is funny when you think about it. The regulars never learn.
Worse, when you've invested energy testing various trains for their running times, stopping patterns & the newness of the train, only to get an old train when you expected a new one. Occasionally, you can be delighted by the reverse, but that's much less likely.
You also get a feel for the people around you, so when there's a loud "interloper", you're far more likely to remember them than you are the well-dressed beautiful woman who appears once - although you might wonder where she got to the next day & just be thankful that the smelly old man is elsewhere.

Easter is one of those times when things just happen to change unexpectedly. There was "emergency" work on the lines last week, so the announcement was made that if people could make their own way ahead four stations, they could get past the problem, but there would be no buses provided because the Easter Show had them all. I went home & waited an hour or two for it to clear.

This morning's guard kept making announcements along the lines of "This train is not the one you might otherwise have thought it was, because it stops at ...", & I kept thinking "Everyone here knows that - it's a peak-hour train, 99% of the passengers are regulars". After he'd made the announcement at every second stop, it finally twigged on arrival at Central - "If you're going to catch a country train ..., if you're going to the Easter Show, ask the staff what platform to go to." Full of useful information, our man.

Cat on the Rail

This morning would have been an ordinary journey if I wasn't reminded of how people who have a seat "encourage" people who join the train. This came to mind because I get the seat of my choice where the train begins its journey, & I usually get four stations worth of loneliness (others might say "peace"). I usually look up towards the front of the train as people get on, with my bag already on my lap. If anyone comes up from behind me, then I'm ready anyway.
This morning, there was a slightly pregnant woman walking down the aisle. I looked up, caught her eye (thinking the inane "Oh look, she's pregnant."), & she sat down beside me. It's kind of like dealing with cats (for those who have had them). A cat will stare down people who are afraid of cats. If you're sitting, then the cat will stare at you until you look away, & then land in your lap, thus dominating you. Pregnant women must be cats.
Normally, I'd be afraid that the pregnant woman, plus her bag(s) would end up taking over, but this one was small, & we shared the seat quite comfortably.

I could take some time to categorise the passengers waiting for a friend.

• lonely bagger - the person who puts their bag beside them to cover another seat on its own
• double bagger - the person who has multiple items strewn across seats
• chillaxed - the person who puts their feet up on the seat in front, headphones blaring, "asleep"
• phat - the person who fills up more than one seat even without a bag - just by their position or dirty looks
• knobbly - the man (always) who slouches in a seat so that his knees touch the seat opposite
• wide - the man (always) who must have his legs spread to ninety degrees
• belligerent - the person who won't move their bag unless you to sit on it
• expectant - the one who is minding seats for someone who never seems to arrive
• fumer - the person who, even after reluctantly moving their bag, thinks they shouldn't have to nurse it
• stuck - the person who makes you climb over them to get to (or get out of) a non-aisle seat
• overly-generous - the person who moves away rather than has you sit next to them (usually on the way home, as the train empties)

These people are funny. I laugh inside & try not to laugh out loud at them. They need social adjustment.

Intro to Riding Trains

This blog is about trains - the riding thereof. I like public transport - I like the idea of being transported 95% of the way to work, rather than the hassle & worry of getting that last 5% by burning fossil fuels, raising my blood pressure, & doing nothing more exciting than watching women put on make-up at traffic lights.
I accept that public transport is imperfect. This is an oath that every traveller should make when they buy a ticket. If you don't accept responsibility for this choice you have made - if you think that taking public transport absolves you of all responsibility for getting to work - then you need to take a long hard look at yourself, because you're just looking to blame the world for your own (self-provided) problems in general.

I really don't like it when people get upset because a train is late. If you really rely on trains to be perfect, then there is something wrong with your lifestyle. The reality is, if 90% of the time the trains do what you expect, then you're ahead of the game. The other 10% make life interesting. I might be late, but I get a free story out of it.

I plan not to be too retrospective in this blog - things that happened last year, or "I remember when ..." stories you will tell your grand-kiddies one day when trains are a fond memory & everyone has access to instantaneous pain-free travel. Until then, I'm happy enough getting a train that has air-conditioning.

This morning, my train pulled into a major station/interchange, & there was an announcement that there would be a delay because a passenger had collapsed. A few people fled the train (hoping to catch one on another platform). Two station staff (not the guard) were soon trying to find the person involved (which was interesting), & when they made their assessment, there was an announcement that those in a hurry should change trains. Most people (& the train had been full) got up & streamed up the steps. It was about then that I realised it was my carriage involved! This was obvious when the handful of people left started craning their necks to view the unfortunate woman.

Shortly thereafter, the paramedics arrived & carted her away. I couldn't even tell you how long the delay was - 5-10 minutes, perhaps. I could cope with that. I don't generally rely on being somewhere at a specific time, or waiting until the last minute to jump on a train. Trains just come past & head in my direction, so I take them. The train is not mine. I can't get upset if "my" train is late or crowded.

I don't think I'm particularly Zen about it, but when you catch trains, you have to face the reality that's in front of you. You give up control in terms of determining your path. You are passive with regards locomotion, temporal concerns, the activities of others, your environment. You have chosen to accept that you are public transport. Fighting that seems quite pointless.