Special seats for Bags

[Thomas J Stamp]

Getting the train to Dublin on Saturday from Templemore I noticed that around half of the seats in my carraige were being filled by people's bags. Not big samsonite luggage ones but backpacks and carrier bags. There was nothing - at all- on the overhead rack. People were moving through the carriage looking for seats at every stop. Surely the ticket collector should ask everyone to shove their bags up on the racks when moving through the train. This is as bad as the usual not getting up for old or pregnant passangers.....

Train staff are employeed to make announcements telling passengers to remove bags from seats during busy services. Ticket collectors should likewise do the same if people are standing while there are bags on on seats.

You should really make a report of this or send a letter to your local paper. IE staff are generally not pro-active in such matters (although some I have seen are great and do perform professionally in such instances) and nearly always have to be supervised.

I think all IE staff from cleaners to ticket collectors to train drivers to Dick Fearn should all wear an ID badge with their name clearly typed so that "customers" of the rail network can mention by name the individual, if they are slacking off or doing a great job when providing feedback.

When Inter-City trains pull out of the main departure stations, just like on aircraft the name of the train driver and train staff should be clearly stated. The same should happen if there is a crew change enroute. Inter-City services should have the same customer standards as the airline industry (in fact, higher if they want Inter-City rail to survive after the motorway projects are completed).

[PaulM]

I have found school kids particularily bad for this. On the 46A I know all the schools. If the bus is busy, I target a school kid, who I know will be off soon, with his bag on the seat. This way I know when I will get a window (I'm childish I know ) and it annoys a seat hogger.

Paul: 1
Society: Several million.

[Mark Gleeson]

Everytime I've left Heuston in the recent past the announcement is done before departure and the train checked over. Can't fault the actions of staff many of whom have directed arriving passengers to where seats exist

If the seat has a bag its a simple case of asking it be moved, there is plenty of luggage rack space, its the Irish attitude of not to stand up for ourselves which is the issue you have no one but yourself to blame if you are standing since you where too chicken to ask someone to move a bag

[PaulM]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

If the seat has a bag its a simple case of asking it be moved, there is plenty of luggage rack space, its the Irish attitude of not to stand up for ourselves which is the issue you have no one but yourself to blame if you are standing since you where too chicken to ask someone to move a bag

That is a good point. Staff should instruct people to move their bags however "mummy" can't fight all your battles.

[Thomas J Stamp]

I agree with you both, but the problem is one of passenger attitude on both side, those sitting and those looking for a seat. It was just that there were so many of them last Saturday and I kept an eye on it all the way in and you know I think most of the people going through the carraiges assumed that the bags were left there when people were going to the jax or the bar or whatever and assumed they were taken.