Special seats for Bags

[Thomas J Stamp]

on the 1710 yesterday to limerick they asked over the pa for bags and coats to be removed form seats about 5 times.

They made lots of other announcements as well, but they're on another thread.

[James Shields]

On the Enterprise this morning (8:20 Drogheda to Connolly), there was a guy with a huge carry-all filling up the two seats opposite him. As far as I can tell, noone challenged him to move it. This thing was about 1.5m x 2m x.5m - shouldn't that sort of thing be in the guard's van rather than in the passenger areas? I don't mind on quiet off-peak trains, but that morning service is always packed, especially on a Monday.

[Graham]

Yes that sort of thing is completely unacceptable, yet it happens a lot.
Many Northern people in particular on the Enterprise seem to have a notion that they've a God-given right to take up seats with luggage because they got on first, and that it's the 'Belfast-Dublin' train and why are we stopping at all these stations? Then they proceed, young women in particular, to make a fuss about having to get up and you inconveniencing them and 'forcing' a poor frail young lady to have to lug bags up into the rack.
Feck them.

Also the amount of times Northern people on the 8.00 Dundalk/8.20 Drogheda service sprawl across two airline seats fast asleep with a coat over their heads as if they're not going to be interrupted for the next two hours on a busy morning service is extraordinary. Whereas I'd generally chicken out from waking them (assuming I could get another seat), others are more 'forceful' in their actions - rightly shaking them and shouting loudly 'could I sit here please'. Then they get all grumpy and in a huff and dump themselves down underneath the curtain

I'd share the opinions posted above about belongings on seats - leave them there as long as the service is not busy. It is a hassle putting stuff up on the rack, and you can quite easily leave something behind up there. Also items have a habit of falling out of bags and coat pockets and getting lost up on racks.
If the train is relatively full and you're pulling into a station, then is the time to remove stuff before people get on. I can never get over how people just sit there, straining their necks looking out the window to avoid having to move stuff for people wandering about the aisles. The ignorance and lack of consideration for others is astounding at times. Seasoned commuters are always conscious of these matters, but others tend to live in their own little world.

[BrianG]

Passengers on the 1610 Enterprise from Belfast to Connolly on Friday were informed that if they wished to keep their belongings on a seat, they would be charged full price for it. They weren't long moving them. Apart from one gentleman, who decided to leave his things on a seat regardless. The guard started pointing at the rack and the man still wouldn't move them, so he got his ticket book out. He said that more people would get on and they would need to sit down. The guy argued back and he was told that the train was a coach short (again).

They should be threatened with having to pay more often. It obviously works.

[James Shields]

Perhaps a little extreme, but just what's needed. We need to break people of the habit of putting bags on seats. When people can see the train is crowded, they should automatically store their bags properly, and not wait for someone to ask "is this seat free?"

One of the Enterprise sets is currently running with only 7 cars, which wrecks havoc when it ends up on one of the busier services.

[Oisin88]

I was taking the train home from work last week from Tullamore to Dublin. It was a friday afternoon and each set of seats had 3-4 passengers. Getting near the end of the train was a huge red bag taking up 2 seats and a girl sitting opposite.

I told her she would have to move her bag (I treat the 1500 Galway to Dublin as MY office)

She told me to sit in the seat beside her, so I did.

Then her phone rang. She explained to the person on the other end of the phone that she was sent home from Galway BECAUSE SHE HAD SHINGLES!

Luckily I was going home from work. As I work in a hospital, if I had just spent an hour sharing the same cubic meter with somebody with an infectious disease, I'm not sure I'd be allowed near the patients!

Problem was the huge bag taking the seat I should have been in. People just don't want to sit away from their personal possessions.

[Mark Gleeson]

Technically she should not even be on the train in that condition its an offence under the by laws