The 35 rules of train travel every passenger should follow
Train travel is an excellent way to see a country. A planet-friendly way to get to work. And a surefire way to get thwacked in the face by the person next to you who didn't have the sense to take their backpack off in a crowd.
Article content
Article content
Then there are the seat sprawlers who try to take up extra real estate with their bags, the café car squatters who leave no room for anyone else to eat and — worst of all — the extroverts who run conference calls from the quiet car. At least on planes, you can't be talking on your phone.
Article content
Article content
'I think being on a long train journey, trapped inside a metal tube for several hours, seems to do something to people's behaviour,' said William Hanson, a Britain-based etiquette coach and author. 'They sort of forget that it's not their own private royal train.'
Article content
Article content
Better to make sure you're on the right track now than when a conductor is inches from your panicked face.
Article content
Leave no trace at the gate
Article content
Clean up food wrappers, coffee cups and crumbs large enough to count as an amuse bouche.
Article content
Tuck in all extremities, including legs and luggage wheels, while you're sprawled on the floor or running to board (We told you to get there early!)
Article content
Got help? Make sure to tip.
Article content
If you are travelling Amtrak at a station that offers it, make use of the Red Cap baggage handling service. Don't forget to tip.
Article content
Article content
Don't zone out
Article content
Pay attention to signs and announcements; that gate assignment can be stealth.
Article content
Boarding
Article content
This is not a stampede
Article content
When the gate number is announced, remember: You are not an elephant. Proceed to your gate calmly and queue up.
Article content
Don't block the doors
Article content
Make room for the people exiting the train. Riding the train is not a contact sport, so don't act like an offensive lineman.
Article content
Be someone's hero and help carry a heavy bag up the stairs or hoist it in the overhead compartment. We all need a little kindness.
Article content
Watch your backpack
Article content
Take off your pack, and hold it in front like a baby sling, so you don't bash the person behind you in the face.
Article content
Four-seaters are for four people
Article content
We love space, too. But leave the four-seater open for families or friend quartets. If a four-seater is open once the train starts moving, sit diagonal from your fellow passengers, not directly across from them, so your knees aren't kissing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
10 hours ago
- National Post
Sunrise at Stonehenge draws druids, pagans and revellers to celebrate the summer solstice
LONDON — As the sun rose on the longest day of the year Saturday, a crowd erupted in cheers at Stonehenge where the ancient monument in southern England has clocked the summer solstice over thousands of years. Article content The orange ball crested the northeast horizon behind the Heel Stone, the entrance to the stone circle, and shone its beam of light into the centre of one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments. The solstice is one of the few occasions each year when visitors are allowed to walk among the stones, which are otherwise fenced off. Article content Article content The crowd gathered before dawn at the World Heritage Site to mark the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, beating the heat during the U.K.'s first amber heat-health alert issued since September 2023. Temperatures later topped 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Surrey, 80 miles (128 kilometres) east of Stonehenge, the hottest temperature recorded in the U.K. this year. Article content About 25,000 sun devotees and other revellers, including druids, pagans, hippies, locals and tourists, showed up, according to English Heritage which operates the site. More than 400,000 others around the world watched a livestream. Article content 'This morning was a joyous and peaceful occasion with the most beautiful sunrise,' said Richard Dewdney, head of operations at Stonehenge. 'It is fantastic to see Stonehenge continuing to enchant and connect people.' Article content Happy summer solstice from Stonehenge!🌞 This year we welcomed around 25,000 people to the stunning Stonehenge and live-streamed the celebrations, with over 400,000 views from across the world. The sunrise was greeted with traditional drumming and chanting, cheering and dancing. — Stonehenge (@EH_Stonehenge) June 21, 2025 Article content Stonehenge was built in stages 5,000 years ago on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain approximately 75 miles (120 kilometres) southwest of London. The unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C. Article content Article content The site's meaning has been vigorously debated. Theories range from it being a coronation place for Danish kings, a druid temple, a cult centre for healing, or an astronomical computer for predicting eclipses and solar events. Article content
CTV News
10 hours ago
- CTV News
Sunrise at Stonehenge draws druids, pagans and revellers to celebrate the summer solstice
People gather at Stonehenge, England, during sunrise on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (Zhanna Manukyan/PA via AP) LONDON — As the sun rose on the longest day of the year Saturday, a crowd erupted in cheers at Stonehenge where the ancient monument in southern England has clocked the summer solstice over thousands of years. The orange ball crested the northeast horizon behind the Heel Stone, the entrance to the stone circle, and shone its beam of light into the center of one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments. The solstice is one of the few occasions each year when visitors are allowed to walk among the stones, which are otherwise fenced off. The crowd gathered before dawn at the World Heritage Site to mark the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, beating the heat during the U.K.'s first amber heat-health alert issued since September 2023. Temperatures later topped 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Surrey, 80 miles (128 kilometres) east of Stonehenge, the hottest temperature recorded in the U.K. this year. About 25,000 sun devotees and other revelers, including druids, pagans, hippies, locals and tourists, showed up, according to English Heritage which operates the site. More than 400,000 others around the world watched a livestream. 'This morning was a joyous and peaceful occasion with the most beautiful sunrise,' said Richard Dewdney, head of operations at Stonehenge. 'It is fantastic to see Stonehenge continuing to enchant and connect people.' Stonehenge was built in stages 5,000 years ago on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain approximately 75 miles (120 kilometres) southwest of London. The unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C. Some of the so-called bluestones are known to have come from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, nearly 150 miles (240 kilometres) away, and the altar stone was recently discovered to have come from northern Scotland, some 460 miles (740 kilometres) away. The site's meaning has been vigorously debated. Theories range from it being a coronation place for Danish kings, a druid temple, a cult center for healing, or an astronomical computer for predicting eclipses and solar events. The most generally accepted interpretation is that it was a temple aligned with movements of the sun — lining up perfectly with the summer and winter solstices. Brian Melley, The Associated Press
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
No train service into Toronto along Stouffville GO line this weekend: Metrolinx
A woman walks along a platform beside a GO train at Toronto's Union Station on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Anyone hoping to travel into downtown Toronto from the Stouffville area this weekend will have to make some adjustments. Metrolinx says there will be no GO Train service along the Stouffville Line starting Friday night after the end of service and lasting until Monday morning at the start of service. The transit agency says the service is being suspended to 'accommodate critical track work that will bring faster, more frequent service across the network.' In place of the train, Metrolinx says GO buses will stop at Old Elm, Stouffville, Mount Joy, Markham, Centennial, and Unionville GO stations, before running express to the Union Station bus terminal. There will also be no GO Transit service at the Milliken, Agincourt, and Kennedy stations this weekend. Metrolinx says anyone needing those stops is 'encouraged to use the TTC.'
