Minor things on trains which irritate you

[Prestige15]

PRM door sounds on refurbish stocks

That 'text 61016, see it say it, sort it' accoucements

Firm rides and shakes about alot i.e CAF's

Having a seat where the only thing you can see out is the thick piller

Overcrowd

Ironing board seats

Running late

People leaving lauggage on the floor blocking along the saloon

The front end styling of the class 195/331

 

[Taunton]

Having more seating facing in one direction than the other in a carriage.

Not only that, but the majority facing backwards, no matter which way I am travelling, out or return!

I can add as a further irritation having the designer who does the seating layout, and the designer who does where the windows go, working in two parallel universes where they never meet one another. A particular mention for the Pendolino man who put seats where there is no window, and the luggage rack with a splendid view out.

 

[Class800]

Not only that, but the majority facing backwards, no matter which way I am travelling, out or return!

But to avoid that, you would need to turn the unit around at the terminus rather than just reverse out

 

[dk1]

Squeaky gangways, especially on MK3/Mk4 stock.

Those crap fixed plastic armrests Greater Anglia used to have fitted to the seats on their loco hauled stock between Norwich and London

Thankfully both of those are now a distant memory.

 

[Bigman]

Wobbly glass on 333 units which means you can't see out properly from some seats.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Train toilet sink modules that:

• Are so shallow as to be useless
• Have puny taps which don't deposit water anywhere useful
• Don't have a large enough "lip" on the edge, resulting in the person using the sink being sploshed with water when a rough bit of track is encountered
• Have run out of soap
• Have a drier which is about as effective as a tropical raincloud

Toilet bowls so close to the wall you can't sit properly. Too many houses like that too!

The free bidet service at Euston due to the poor positioning of the flush sensor.

That's because for some reason, "door ordering" is still a foreign concept around these parts. One press of the button any time on approach should be enough for it to light up and for the correct door to be opened at the next station, even if the button originally pressed was on the wrong side.

Trouble with that is twofold - increases danger of falling out in a wrong side release, and of falling out on the right side.

The pause after door release on 350s and 230s.

 

[birchesgreen]

Trains, especially used on inter city trips, which have no bins.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But to avoid that, you would need to turn the unit around at the terminus rather than just reverse out

Or rotating seats. Or just the same number facing both ways! There is a regulation requiring more inward facing in end vehicles for over 110mph but it can be offset in the next one.

Announcements where classic, well known railway words have been replaced in the name of "clarity".

The old rude sounding TPE voice, and boring Annie.

 

[Richard Scott]

It is odd how UK people hate that, as it is pretty standard in European LHCS.

It's rubbish there too. Just because it's standard doesn't make it any good.

 

[43096]

Trouble with that is twofold - increases danger of falling out in a wrong side release, and of falling out on the right side.

If the train is fitted with Correct Side Door Enable then it’s not an issue. I’m not aware of hordes of people being deposited on the track around Europe, either…

The pause after door release on 350s and 230s.

That’s to help people who have an irrational concern about people falling out of train doors, either wrong or right side.

 

[Devonian]

Train toilet sink modules that:

• Are so shallow as to be useless
• Have puny taps which don't deposit water anywhere useful
• Don't have a large enough "lip" on the edge, resulting in the person using the sink being sploshed with water when a rough bit of track is encountered
• Have run out of soap
• Have a drier which is about as effective as a tropical raincloud

My heavens, why do the designers of train washbasins go to such lengths to make them hard to use?

As a long-legged six-footer, I have to bend forwards to reach down to washbasins, but putting the basin deep in a recess makes it impossible for me to bend forward without planting my face on the mirror, so I end up having to crouch awkwardly with arms extended into the basin unit: possibly fine in a mockup in a stationary design office, not convenient on a rocking train.

Then there is the game of "hide the spouts", where apparently every railway washbasin designer in Britain has agreed that the nozzles, levers and sensors for the soap, water and dryer should be completely invisible unless you are a child at eye level with the basin, so you have to fumble under the mirror and/or wave your hands about hoping - but not always succeeding - to find what you are looking for in the right order, or bend double to look under the mirror, all while semi-crouching and trying to keep your balance.

Other countries manage this so much better: on modern trains on the continent they still manage automatic taps, liquid soap and hand dryers, but with the spouts clearly visible above a deep washbasin with plenty of space above it: why can't we?

 

[Bletchleyite]

My heavens, why do the designers of train washbasins go to such lengths to make them hard to use?

It's not just washbasins. It's loads of stuff, and it's because people automatically think "disabled=wheelchair" and don't consider the far more common case of "walking wounded" e.g. elderly people. This might well be because the wheelchair lobby is very strong, while the lobby for minor disabilities in elderly people etc is very weak.

On most TVMs I cannot, while standing, read the screen on the card machine, because the TVM body sticks out above it.

The worst such design is GWR's new large screen machines at Paddington, which must be great for a wheelchair user, but I can't use the card machine without squatting/kneeling on the floor, as it is roughly at my knee height. The result of this is that if I had bad knees or a broken leg I would be completely unable to use the machines.

There really needs to be a lot more made of these atrocious design issues. It's not hard to design for both cases, you just need to angle screens upwards slightly and ensure that there's a "cut in" so you can see down onto it from any height, and to position important elements vertically such that they are in reach of both a wheelchair user (near their head height) and a standing person of up to about 7' tall (near their waist).

 

[43096]

My heavens, why do the designers of train washbasins go to such lengths to make them hard to use?

As a long-legged six-footer, I have to bend forwards to reach down to washbasins, but putting the basin deep in a recess makes it impossible for me to bend forward without planting my face on the mirror, so I end up having to crouch awkwardly with arms extended into the basin unit: possibly fine in a mockup in a stationary design office, not convenient on a rocking train.

Then there is the game of "hide the spouts", where apparently every railway washbasin designer in Britain has agreed that the nozzles, levers and sensors for the soap, water and dryer should be completely invisible unless you are a child at eye level with the basin, so you have to fumble under the mirror and/or wave your hands about hoping - but not always succeeding - to find what you are looking for in the right order, or bend double to look under the mirror, all while semi-crouching and trying to keep your balance.

Other countries manage this so much better: on modern trains on the continent they still manage automatic taps, liquid soap and hand dryers, but with the spouts clearly visible above a deep washbasin with plenty of space above it: why can't we?

Whilst on the subject of washbasins, why is every hand dryer on a train so poor at doing its job? They either have no heat and little airflow or just little airflow. It’s as if there’s an asthmatic ant blowing through a straw onto your hands.

 

[Peter0124]

The fact that they locked the top windows on the 334s shut and put AC in the train instead.

 

[800001]

I'm not criticising it I'm just saying the sound is annoying as it shocks me each time.

First time I heard it on an 800/1 I was stood directly under the pantograph well, I thought we had pulled the wires down due to the noise.

 

[PaulHarding150]

Arm rests on window seats that won’t move.

Litter bins that are far too small the realistic amount of little that thousands of passengers a day produce.

Unenforced quiet carriages and those with tiny/minimal notices (cough GWR’s 800s)

And as is topical unessesary tannoy announcements. Only on Monday I traveled from London to Newprt - the conductor welcomes everyone on board and listed the stops. Then the automatic announcement did exactly the same.

 

[warwickshire]

Thankfully both of those are now a distant memory.

Have to admit chiltern railways mk3 coaches the silver plug door sets do squeak very loud between the driving van trailer and the business zone.
And just as loud between the mk3 coaches ie mk3 coach to mk3 coach especially inside the train.

 

[yorksrob]

Not only that, but the majority facing backwards, no matter which way I am travelling, out or return!

I can add as a further irritation having the designer who does the seating layout, and the designer who does where the windows go, working in two parallel universes where they never meet one another. A particular mention for the Pendolino man who put seats where there is no window, and the luggage rack with a splendid view out.

Yes indeed. Just poor design.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes indeed. Just poor design.

It's just bone-idle, and that's very common indeed. TfW's 197s are the same.

I appreciate it can't be perfect because the window spacing is not the width of a Standard class bay in most cases (that honour going to First Class), but it doesn't take long to make it at least reasonable.

 

[AlterEgo]

The sudden loud crash sound that goes off every five minutes or so under the pantograph of 2nd generation Electrostars.

That’s the sound of the pan discharging after entering a neutral section. It’s on all OHLE-equipped stock and you can hear it on 390s as well, for example.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That’s the sound of the pan discharging after entering a neutral section. It’s on all OHLE-equipped stock and you can hear it on 390s as well, for example.

Some are a lot louder than others. On 350/2s it sounds like it's coming through the roof, on /1s it's much quieter.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

That’s the sound of the pan discharging after entering a neutral section. It’s on all OHLE-equipped stock and you can hear it on 390s as well, for example.

Weird because I used to travel under the pantograph in Coach H almost every month (before Avanti RUINED it by bringing in Std Premium) and never heard it - well I probably did but it was probably so quiet by comparison that I assumed the 379 sound was something else entirely.

Come to think of it, it’s mercilessly loud on 357s too.

 

[stuu]

Train toilet sink modules that:

• Are so shallow as to be useless
• Have puny taps which don't deposit water anywhere useful
• Don't have a large enough "lip" on the edge, resulting in the person using the sink being sploshed with water when a rough bit of track is encountered
• Have run out of soap
• Have a drier which is about as effective as a tropical raincloud

To which I would add:
Sinks which have no water but you didn't know that when you rubbed soap all over your hands

 

[rg177]

Some are a lot louder than others. On 350/2s it sounds like it's coming through the roof, on /1s it's much quieter.

On a 397 if you're sat too close it sounds like it's been blown up..!

 

[yorksrob]

It's just bone-idle, and that's very common indeed. TfW's 197s are the same.

I appreciate it can't be perfect because the window spacing is not the width of a Standard class bay in most cases (that honour going to First Class), but it doesn't take long to make it at least reasonable.

Indeed. I'm sure the window alignment in TPE's mk 5's could be greatly improved with a bit of seat shuffling.

 

[Oxfordblues]

The sudden loud crash sound that goes off every five minutes or so under the pantograph of 2nd generation Electrostars.

I was on an Oxford-bound IET approaching Moreton Cutting when the pantograph above me was lowered, quite noisily. Some passengers became concerned, thinking we'd hit an obstruction or were about to crash. It must happen a lot. Perhaps a reassuring announcement might placate them, but there are too many already (see other thread)!

 

[GodAtum]

Can someone tell me why there's loads of luggage racks in a SouthEastern class 376 but no tray tables, but then there’s tray tables on a class 377 but a lot less luggage racks?

 

[Trainfan2019]

Noisy and / or drunk passengers

Constant pre-recorded messages

Pa systems that don't work - either crackly, too low/high volume or just not working at all

Luggage left blocking aisles and / or doors

Bikes on any part of the train especially when blocking aisles

Refreshment trolleys

Doors not opening quick enough

Tickets not being checked

 

[Class800]

Noisy and / or drunk passengers

Constant pre-recorded messages

Pa systems that don't work - either crackly, too low/high volume or just not working at all

Luggage left blocking aisles and / or doors

Bikes on any part of the train especially when blocking aisles

Refreshment trolleys

Doors not opening quick enough

Tickets not being checked

I would rather this be left for boarding and alighting stations to ensure a more pleasant uninterrupted journey

 

[yorksrob]

Noisy and / or drunk passengers

Constant pre-recorded messages

Pa systems that don't work - either crackly, too low/high volume or just not working at all

Luggage left blocking aisles and / or doors

Bikes on any part of the train especially when blocking aisles

Refreshment trolleys

Doors not opening quick enough

Tickets not being checked

Lack of refreshment trolleys !