Tips for Making a Train Commute Better

Rossi~ said:
I used to do frequent commutes into London from Stevenage/Baldock, i found it fine most of the time, so long as i have my music all is well.

Only thing i struggled to deal with is the heaters on full blast in the winter.
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Wow, commuting into London and having to go into Stevenage. Life sure sucked then!

I struggle when they have the heaters on when it isn't cold. First Capital Connect were an absolute nightmare for that, I lost count of the number of times I complained to them about it.
 
Sit next to the prettiest woman, order a coffee from the trolley dolley and ask is she wants one too. Strike up a conversation and make a friend/girlfriend for life.
 
Fake a contagious disease

I bought myself a kindle, has been a god send for commuting (especially when I'm driving :))
 
Trains heading our way would be busy at peak times, so you'd mostly have to stand unless you push through people to get on nice and early. Do you lot do the same or just hang back?

I would hang back if I was getting a full train though.
 
30 minute commute i tend to just read the paper or play on my phone. When i take a 3 hour train up to Manchester i generally watch a tv show/film, if i get bored of that i'll play a puzzle game and listen to some music.

Don't be one of those awkward guys who gets on the train with nothing to do. I had one last week, he was on the train for 2 hours with absolutely nothing to do but stare around the carriage at other people.
 
tom_e said:
Get a personal vehicle, it's the only way to improve public transport by removing the public part.
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2nd post nails it :p

Had to commute 1.5 hours each way by train for a year, never again.

However it probably would have been ok if there were no other people and the trains actually turned up on time (or at all...)

I spent most of the time playing through old PSX RPGs on my PSP, probably would have committed several massacres otherwise!
 
Loudest portable speaker you can find, obnoxious hip-hop, and have a big gangster taking care of business phone call over the top of it. After a few stops you are likely to have the carriage to yo bad self. If not, your fellow passengers are all yo bitches.
 
For me, it's an opportunity to read, listen to music, watch TV, write etc.

Otherwise, yes, it would drive me crazy.
 
Read a book on the train, or if you can't sit down use a pair of noise cancelling/blocking earphones and take the opportunity to listen to an audio book (or language !tape").

When I go anywhere by train I tend to take an ereader and try and catch up on my reading.
 
I actually enjoy my 1 hour commute, I listen to radio (tune in radio apps), podcasts, watch video, read books. I always get a seat and it really is nice downtime, especially if you have young kids and a busy job.
 
I commuted from Bolton to Manchester on the train for just over a year. I used to buy a monthly ticket, and I found that I could upgrade it to First Class for not much money. I think it might have been about an extra 10 of 15 quid / month?

priority seating, hot or cold drink, and a snack twice a day in a comfortable, cool, quiet coach with power sockets too.

There were the odd very busy times when first class woud be declassified and everyone and anyone would be let in but that was fine as you could apply for a refund if you really wanted to.

[edit]
the only challange was knowing if first class would be at the back or front of the very long train - I learned to spot the difference from a big distance and go tot he right end of the platform.
 
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