Punctuality is not a good proxy for rail passenger experience — Freewheeling (www.freewheeling.info)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by ambitiousslab@feddit.uk to c/ukpublictransport@feddit.uk

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This was quite a damning read, and not just for the sake of being damning. I can relate to a lot of it. I think the most common feeling I have on the trains is one of uncertainty: do I have the right ticket, am I on the right train, will i get a seat? It's frustrating that the everyday experience is so poor - even if they're running late, they don't have to be so stressful.

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[-] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That's a great article and makes a very good point - I agree that the list of stressful factors doesn't start and end with punctuality.

I'd also add ones like:

Will they send a two, three or four carriage train for the hundreds of people on this platform?
Will we all fit on?
If we fit, will it be cramped, standing room only and dangerously overheated?
Will it have openable windows or air conditioning, both or neither?
Will the over-filled, 40°C interior train be stuck at a signal in the boiling sun for 40 minutes, whilst they let "more important" trains go past?
Will I dehydrate, suffocate, have a panic attack or die?

this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2026

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