LAST CALL: Rail Quiet
Beston, Paul
7 8 T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C T A T O R A P R I L 2 0 0 7 OU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE ON TRAINS.Ispend a significant portion of my waking hours on...
...On the commuter trains, I've been impressed by howquietandconsideratemostpassengersare.Inthe mornings, they read newspapers, work on laptops, or sleep...
...They do this even though they are told when entering: "You are in the Quiet Car...
...Allofwhichmakesmewonderwhythecommuter train, with no mandates, seems to achieve relative silence with minimal effort, while the quiet car, with a very specific mandate, is a kingdom in constant threat of a coup...
...After initial hesitation, I have joined this informalmilitia.Sometimestheconductordisciplinestheoffenderbeforeweneedto,butusuallythemassesmust rise up before the sovereign will take action...
...I choose thequietcarwheneverIridetheAcela,butthingsdon't alwaysworkoutasplanned...
...He was trying to sleep, he said, and urged her to "type more quietly...
...Two or more people rarely travel together without conversing...
...The poor woman was probably wondering why she was being harassed for doing exactly what the quiet car requests--shutting her mouth and minding her business...
...On a recent trip, one without a single offender, a rumpled and exhausted-looking man became irritated with the woman across from him working on a laptop...
...Fortunately, the Amtrak business-class train, the Acela, has a designated quiet car in which passengers are required to maintain a "library-type atmosphere," refraining from loud conversation or cell phone use...
...Paul BestonisawriterinNewYork.L A S TC A L L RailQuiet Yby Paul Beston...
...Apparently this man's baseline expectations of the world ruled out notonlychaosandbrutishness,butalsotheslightest tapping.Onthequietcar,toborrowfromoneofGilda Radner's characters, if it isn't one thing, it's another...
...At thispointinmyAcelaexperience,Iamalmostreadyto interceptthemontheplatformbeforetheyboardand invade one of the few sanctuaries left for Americans whotreasuresilence...
...One secret to whatever serenity I have been able to achieve is that I have taught myself to expect a baseline level of chaos and brutishness from mydailyinteractionswiththeworld.Thisallowsmeto maintain an even demeanor while also allowing for happysurprises.Butinthequietcar,itisasifanearlier self is awakened, and I'm back to having expectationsofpeople...
...Oftenanotherpassengermakesacitizen'sarrest and reminds the offender that he is in the quiet car...
...On the long-distance Amtrak trains, things are more complex...
...But even passion for silence can go too far...
...Butprobablythebestexplanationisthatforaslong astherearehumans,andtherearesignsthatsay"Quiet Car,"quietwillbethemostdifficultthingtoattain...
...The passenger who wanted the woman to type more quietly was eventually successful...
...Their flouting of such a clear mandate indicates, I think, what they must be like to workwith...
...Surprisingly, the evening trains are almost as quiet.Acellphoneoffenderoccasionallyinterruptsthe tranquility,butthedisruptionsarebrief...
...For introverts with a passion for silence, it has to be the greatest commuting invention since literacy...
...7 8 T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C T A T O R A P R I L 2 0 0 7 OU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE ON TRAINS.Ispend a significant portion of my waking hours on them, eithergoingintoManhattanoncommuterrail(the MTA'sMetroNorth)ortoBostonviaAmtrak...
...A good portion of my quiet car journeys are marred by the presence of interlopers--passengers who plan to talk their way home, and should have seated themselves in one of the other cars...
...No doubt the libertarians would have explanations...
...Traveling over much longer distances, passengers converse more audibly and often...
...There are no cell phones or loud conversations in the Quiet Car...
...Her adversary wasted no time falling asleep--andbegantosnore...
...I'm always struck by the anger their behavior instills in me...
...Sounds of "loud" typing are not proscribed on the quiet car, needless to say, especially as mosttypingnow,doneonthesoftkeypadsoflaptops, is white noise at worst...
...Whenever I see people boarding the quiet car in pairs or groups, I know trouble is ahead...
...she was so weariedbyhisobjectionsthatsheswitchedtoworking in longhand...
Vol. 40 • April 2007 • No. 3
