After many years of driving to work I'm now a rail commuter as it's convenient and fairly cheap to get to the office that way. I'm quite happy to not be driving as it can be stressful.
I can't help observing the behaviour of my fellow travellers. I tend to get on the train at the same place each day as it puts me near the exit at my destination, so I see a lot of the same people each day. Many of them will wait on the platform edge where they know the door will be. That's all very well, but they tend to block the way for people walking further down the platform and it's not that wide at our station. They are also blocking people who are getting off the train. They know the doors will be open for a while, so why not just stand back? Okay, so you may have a chance of getting a seat if you are first on, but it's generally pretty full. I'm only on the train for about ten minutes so I don't mind standing.
Of course, being British, we don't actually speak to anyone, so I will never know their thoughts on this :) My own habit is to hang back from the doors. So far the train has not been so packed that I couldn't get on, but that is often the case if you travel on the London underground at peak times.
I will have to watch out when I'm taking my bike on the train as some carriages may be crowded. I've had a few delayed trains, but there's bound to be major issues sometimes. I'll cope. I had journeys before that lasted several hours when the roads were really bad. I'm also more exposed to the weather when walking to and from the station. Only had one really wet day so far. I still have the option to drive, but I'd have to park a long way from the office.
I've reduced some of the stress of train travelling by getting a season ticket. There can be queues to get tickets in the morning, especially if the machines are not working. I was often buying my ticket for the next as I got back to avoid this, but now I can just swipe in. It doesn't save me much money, but it saves a minute or two each day.
I'm adapting to my new lifestyle and it's pretty good so far. Just felt like recording my thoughts.
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