Talking on the train?

[noeleena]

Hi.

This really comes down to how comforable you are around people & wether you have the confidence to carry on a conversation  with others . when youv stood in front of 100's & taken the meeting 's & talked for an hour a few times, & greeted people who are shy & sort of not comfortable around others & you make them feel they can be .

I dought wether im on the train or other transport or where ever will make any difference to me. & being in the public domain , just gives you the expreance to help you over come any fear of not talking with strangers or others,

I allso so know what its like  being the shy fearfull person around others with no confidence no talking let alone carry a confersation on.

...noeleena...

[Cindy]

A sign from the London Underground

Good to see the British reserve is being protected!! Damn fine stuff!

You can take that tube direct to the Diogenes club.

Sorry DianaP you would never be allowed membership! Silly talkative woman. Humpppphhh

[Jamie D]

I read manuscripts with my music on during my commute. I wouldn't object if someone wanted to talk to me, but I'm not sure I'd notice. Too busy. I have a 40min commute so... Wasting 80mins a day would be horrific.

[Felix]

I ride the train every day and I tend to just zone out or read. My kid if she's with me will strike up conversations with just about anybody, so I wrangle those when I have to. Sometimes it's interesting enough that I'm glad for the interaction but usually I don't have much enthusiasm for transit socializing.

[Eva Marie]

I've never ridden on a train but I did have to commute for 4.5 hours on a plane every week for a few years recently. I had a few trips sitting next to people that would talk and talk and talk and I just don't have that many words to say, so I learned to quickly put on my headphones to discourage that. I'm not anti social but a lot of the time i prefer to be in my head and not chatting with people.

[Brooke777]

I don't commute via train, but I do take 3 different buses every morning. I talk to anyone and everyone. I have made some great friends on the bus. I am a total chatter box, so it is the perfect environment for me.

[Pica Pica]

Good to see the British reserve is being protected!! Damn fine stuff!

You can take that tube direct to the Diogenes club.

Sorry DianaP you would never be allowed membership! Silly talkative woman. Humpppphhh

It's not reserve it's simple manners not to talk to someone.

I went up north and at every shop they asked me how I was and where I was from, that's not polite, it's just that they are so bored that would have nothing to talk about if they weren't so nosey because there is nothing going on.

When I went to New Jersey, the first thing a man said to me there was "hey, you're British, I love your Doctor Who but I hate your socialism." To which my inner voice was saying "I couldn't give a flying one for your stupid opinions and besides, if it wasn't for the socialistic way the BBC is funded, there would be no Doctor Who."

'Friendliness' is often just aggressive intrusiveness in a smiling mask.

[Kevin Peña]

It's not reserve it's simple manners not to talk to someone.

'Friendliness' is often just aggressive intrusiveness in a smiling mask.

You can always decline to answer any questions you don't want to.... To be fair, it being polite not to talk to someone is subjective. Me enjoying a friendly chat doesn't make me rude, or at least to me. 

Where I come from, it's okay to talk to people. After all, you're just trying to have an engaging conversation that both parties will benefit from. You can always just say that you don't want to talk. 

Then again, if you break your leg and ask someone if he or she has a phone to call 911 with, is that nosy?   

[Pica Pica]

Then again, if you break your leg and ask someone if he or she has a phone to call 911 with, is that nosy?   

On the tube, yes.

[Kevin Peña]

On the tube, yes.

Wait, are you being sarcastic? What should you do, limp to the hospital? 

[Pica Pica]

As long as you do it quietly, that'd be fine.

[Kevin Peña]

You're so funny, Pica! 

Why can't you be this personable in the flesh? 

[Pica Pica]

It must be the oozing bile...

That said i did talk to a stranger on the tube once, old guy, helped him take his luggage to the next platform.

[Joe.]

I opted for 'I would like to, but I'm too shy/scared'. I was stuck between that one and 'I wouldn't, but I wouldn't mind if someone started a conversation with me'. I like meeting new people and talking to strangers, whether it be in the queue of a shop or on the bus etc, I'm just always too nervous to start them myself in case they feel uncomfortable like I'm going to attack them or something because I'm a teenager and probably look a bit dodgy. I always smile to people and say hello even if I don't know them, but to me that's just common courtesy. On a train once a lady started singing along to some music, which soon had the whole carriage singing, including myself. That was a good experience and I wish there were more people who are open to talk but then again they could just be nervous like me. Kind of just rambling on now; it's late haha.

Joey

[crazy at the coast]

The only time I was on a train(the old coal fired steam engine one at that), I was with people I knew.  On planes, I have talked to people if they seem to want to talk. I'm not going to just annoy them while I'm within easy range of a backhand.

I talk to people at checkouts and in lines a lot though. 

[Misato]

I never went on a luxury train like that.

Amtrak ain't luxury, even in first class.  Even in a family room.  The toilet was in the shower so when you took a shower the TP it all soggy. Ze plastic flap! It does noth-zing!

Still, I love it.  Even with all it's flaws, I love it.

But Amtrak does also seem chock full of some of the hardest working people I ever met.  I have no idea how the car attendants do their jobs with such great attitudes on such little sleep. 

[Felix]

When I went to New Jersey, the first thing a man said to me there was "hey, you're British, I love your Doctor Who but I hate your socialism." To which my inner voice was saying "I couldn't give a flying one for your stupid opinions and besides, if it wasn't for the socialistic way the BBC is funded, there would be no Doctor Who."

I always laugh at Brits because they talk funny and I'm childish.

[Kevin Peña]

Amtrak ain't luxury, even in first class.  Even in a family room.  The toilet was in the shower so when you took a shower the TP it all soggy. Ze plastic flap! It does noth-zing!

Well, as far as I'm concerned, if you've got a shower in there, it's pretty swanky. 

I always laugh at Brits because they talk funny and I'm childish.

I once got into a conversation with a British person on the train, and it was so cool! 23 minutes of sexy accent. 

[Shang]

You can always decline to answer any questions you don't want to.... To be fair, it being polite not to talk to someone is subjective. Me enjoying a friendly chat doesn't make me rude, or at least to me. 

Where I come from, it's okay to talk to people. After all, you're just trying to have an engaging conversation that both parties will benefit from. You can always just say that you don't want to talk. 

Then again, if you break your leg and ask someone if he or she has a phone to call 911 with, is that nosy?   

To the first:  My mom talks to everyone she can, even on the train.  She never did it on the tube in London, but on the train ride back to Swaffham she would talk to people who sat close by.  They always willingly talked back and she'd have pretty cool conversations with people from all over the British Isles.  I don't think she was being rude or anything and neither did they.

To the second:  It's very nerve wracking to tell someone you don't want to talk.  It's generally considered impolite to do so and it can often be hard to find the right way to say it without offending that person.  I've had people tell me "Hey, if you don't want to talk, just say so" and then go around and get huffy when I tell them I'd like to read or take a nap or something similar.  So...I just generally avoid all eye contact when in situations like that and pull out a book and/or sleep as I generally have to take Dramamine before any plane trip or train ride.

[Dawn Heart]

I am a regular traveler via rail. I use local rail AND national rail. Most everyone I have met have been very pleasant, welcoming, and quite willing to have conversations. I have had conversations about almost everything you can imagine, except things that were obviously topics that two new people never talk about.

I have met some nasty people with negative attitudes, and I have to say that the worst of them have been from far northern California.

When it comes to being social on a train, I stick to some very common sense rules that go like this: stay away from any "quiet cars" or other established quiet zones. I let people get settled first, read their body language. I make eye contact and SMILE...if a smile is returned, a second look is given, or other interest shown...I speak up and say something pleasantly engaging. A light sense of humor that comes from a commonly shared human perspective will almost always work, and is something you can always build a wonderful conversation on.

On trips across the nation, I stay away from engaging people late at night unless it is in the view liner, and even then I am careful about that. I have seen people meet up and in a matter of 30 minutes or so, end up engaging in adult activities on impulse. You'll be surprised what you'll witness on long-distance trains!

I have so much more to say on the topic from personal experience.