Window Etiquette

[H&I]

Should windows at the end of carriages be opened, should they be closed, or should they be opened when the train is above ground and closed when the train is underground? Thanks in advance!

 

[hexagon789]

Given they are for increased ventilation, surely the etiquette would be open when more ventilation is required and closed when not?

I.e. open when warm/hot/stuffy; closed when cold/draughty.

 

[D6130]

If extra ventilation is required it would be considerate to other passengers to open the window at the rear of the carriage in the direction of travel to avoid excessive draughts affecting the majority of passengers in the carriage. However I appreciate that this would not always be possible.

 

[yorkie]

Should windows at the end of carriages be opened, should they be closed, or should they be opened when the train is above ground and closed when the train is underground? Thanks in advance!

At this time of year, almost certainly closed when above ground, due to the cold temperatures.

But if it's hot underground, then you’d want the window open underground.

I've never witnessed a dispute with these windows in all the times I've ever taken the tube, which must be many hundreds of journeys.

 

[bramling]

Should windows at the end of carriages be opened, should they be closed, or should they be opened when the train is above ground and closed when the train is underground? Thanks in advance!

Out of interest, has a specific incident given rise to this question?

Underground trains don’t have much ventilation, so really they should be open as much as possible. Also worth noting that tunnel air tends to be warmer than outside at this time of year, so if the issue is that the car is cold then opening the window in the tunnel may actually help.

As an aside, it always amuses me to see people adjusting the sliding ceiling vents on the Jubilee and Northern line trains. The sliders on these trains are dummy and don’t do anything at all!

 

[H&I]

Out of interest, has a specific incident given rise to this question?

Underground trains don’t have much ventilation, so really they should be open as much as possible. Also worth noting that tunnel air tends to be warmer than outside at this time of year, so if the issue is that the car is cold then opening the window in the tunnel may actually help.

As an aside, it always amuses me to see people adjusting the sliding ceiling vents on the Jubilee and Northern line trains. The sliders on these trains are dummy and don’t do anything at all!

Something I thought of recently is whether windows should be opened when trains leave tunnels heading out of central London to replenish the polluted tunnel air with fresher air outside in the quickest way possible. Air does get exchanged when the doors open at stations, but sometimes I can still smell that lingering metallic murky air even when boarding trains on their return journey into central London, which may suggest that the air has not been fully replenished by the time they re-enter the tunnels. Opening both windows would provide a natural path for air to flow through the carriage as the train is moving, replenishing the air more quickly. This may be better done in the summer rather than the winter, but if I wait until the summer to share this thought I would probably forget about it.

On the other hand, closing the windows upon entering tunnels seems considerate to avoid blasting fellow passengers with tunnel air.

Anyways, this was just meant as lighthearted fun topic!

 

[JJmoogle]

If it's hot they need to be opened in the tunnels because otherwise they can become unbearable, I've often found myself with other passengers cursing ourselves for having made the mistake of getting onto a carriage with a middle cab instead of a window because it's truly just a sauna.

 

[trebor79]

I don't think it makes much difference really. End windows open doesn't seem to make a draught more than a few feet away, particularly when it's crammed with people.
The best way to avoid filthy tunnel air, in my experience, is to avoid the Piccadilly and Victoria lines. For some reason they are particularly bad, and standing on the platform you can see how filthy it is by looking to the far end. Black bogies after a trip on either of those lines.
The jubilee in contrast is much cleaner, no visible air pollution in platforms, no smell and no black bogies afterwards.
For this reason, and because the Vic can be unbearably hot in summer, I now park at Stratford and take the Jubilee rather than Walthamstow and use the Vic.

 

[Recessio]

As an aside, it always amuses me to see people adjusting the sliding ceiling vents on the Jubilee and Northern line trains. The sliders on these trains are dummy and don’t do anything at all!

I didn't know this! Why did they even bother installing them then?

 

[Mikey C]

I do recall one journey many years ago where I was feeling very rough, having over indulged the night before, and really appreciating the "windtunnel" of air being blasted at my face from the open window

In the summer, I think most people appreciate the extra air they provide, even if they are getting a full blast.

 

[gg1]

Something I thought of recently is whether windows should be opened when trains leave tunnels heading out of central London to replenish the polluted tunnel air with fresher air outside in the quickest way possible. Air does get exchanged when the doors open at stations, but sometimes I can still smell that lingering metallic murky air even when boarding trains on their return journey into central London, which may suggest that the air has not been fully replenished by the time they re-enter the tunnels. Opening both windows would provide a natural path for air to flow through the carriage as the train is moving, replenishing the air more quickly. This may be better done in the summer rather than the winter, but if I wait until the summer to share this thought I would probably forget about it.

Maybe I'm weird but I actually quite like the smell of tube tunnel air.

 

[WAB]

On the other hand, closing the windows upon entering tunnels seems considerate to avoid blasting fellow passengers with tunnel air.

The air on the tube is so polluted anyway, it doesn't seem to matter too much whether the windows are open or closed.

 

[rmt4ever]

I have had recently, during this very cold weather, some nincompoops opening loads of windows on London Buses!
Given the fact that heating on London Buses, even newer modern vehicles, seems to be worse than any other buses I have had to catch elsewhere, this makes for a freezing cold journey often.

 

[Turtle]

Maybe I'm weird but I actually quite like the smell of tube tunnel air.

Nurse!!

 

[Enthusiast]

I have had recently, during this very cold weather, some nincompoops opening loads of windows on London Buses!

That may be because many London buses still have "Please open this window" stickers on them. They stem from that time around 2020-21 when the country collectively lost its marbles.

 

[bramling]

I didn't know this! Why did they even bother installing them then?

No idea to be honest. But can only guess that it was done simply to match the appearance of previous trains.

 

[ComUtoR]

No idea to be honest. But can only guess that it was done simply to match the appearance of previous trains.

Placebo ? Makes people feel less claustrophobic if they can open a vent

 

[Mikey C]

And unless the air cooling upstairs is turned on, it can get horribly humid and damp inside.

 

[PeterY]

Maybe I'm weird but I actually quite like the smell of tube tunnel air.

Your not alone gg1. I do too.

 

[rmt4ever]

That may be because many London buses still have "Please open this window" stickers on them. They stem from that time around 2020-21 when the country collectively lost its marbles.

Quite… and IMO, the TFL/railway industry were one of the biggest marble losers during that era. Some of the lengths they went to were simply astonishing.

 

[Welly]

...
The best way to avoid filthy tunnel air, in my experience, is to avoid the Piccadilly and Victoria lines. For some reason they are particularly bad, and standing on the platform you can see how filthy it is by looking to the far end. Black bogies after a trip on either of those lines.
The jubilee in contrast is much cleaner, no visible air pollution in platforms, no smell and no black bogies afterwards.
...

First time I read your post, I thought you meant parts of the train turning black!

 

[stuu]

Quite… and IMO, the TFL/railway industry were one of the biggest marble losers during that era. Some of the lengths they went to were simply astonishing.

The covid death rate for bus drivers was appalling. How dare TfL try and protect their staff

 

[rmt4ever]

The covid death rate for bus drivers was appalling. How dare TfL try and protect their staff

as I understand it, bus drivers have nothing to do with TFL. They are not employed by them

 

[trebor79]

The covid death rate for bus drivers was appalling. How dare TfL try and protect their staff

Piffle. Given everyone has had COVID sooner or later occupation makes no difference to your risk of catching it.

 

[rmt4ever]

Piffle. Given everyone has had COVID sooner or later occupation makes no difference to your risk of catching it.

Here here. Still plenty of nuts around refusing take their masks off! And using elbows to press the bus ‘stop’ bell! How pressing a stop bell gets you covid I will never know. Load of old codswallop

 

[Turtle]

Here here. Still plenty of nuts around refusing take their masks off! And using elbows to press the bus ‘stop’ bell! How pressing a stop bell gets you covid I will never know. Load of old codswallop

Here here. Still plenty of nuts around refusing take their masks off! And using elbows to press the bus ‘stop’ bell! How pressing a stop bell gets you covid I will never know. Load of old codswallop

Maybe some of those nuts had acquaintances who died from covid.
By the way, it's "hear, hear".

 

[bramling]

Maybe some of those nuts had acquaintances who died from covid.

That still doesn’t make it rational behaviour, especially as virtually all the remaining mask wearers continue to use the flimsy blue and white ones, which surely anyone most now realise are the health equivalent of a chocolate fireguard?

Meanwhile, the other group where mask use seems more conspicuous is dodgy-looking young males, and I’d suggest that certainly isn’t for health reasons.

Personally I would like to see mask use banned in public places as a crime-prevention / detection measure.

 

[D6130]

Personally I would like to see mask use banned in public places as a crime-prevention / detection measure.

That could cause a huge decrease in Chinese/Japanese/Korean tourism in the UK....with the attendant loss of revenue.

 

[Mikey C]

Piffle. Given everyone has had COVID sooner or later occupation makes no difference to your risk of catching it.

A MASSIVE difference between catching COVID in 2020 when the strain was more lethal, there was no vaccine, and nobody knew how to treat it, to catching it from say 2022 onwards.

 

[rmt4ever]

They’re not directly employed by TfL, but surely TfL has a duty of care to any staff operating it’s services.

I don’t think TFL operate the bus services in London. Arriva, Tower Transit, Metroline etc do, as far as I am aware.