Reasonable Quiet Car Rules

[Tlcooper44]

In your opinion, what are reasonable rules/expectations of your fellow passengers in the quiet car when it comes to noise and conversation.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

No cellphones. A quiet conversation with a seatmate is OK but if you're awake at 2am.....No! And even the head/ear phone of a seatmate can be annoying.

 

[Eric in East County]

No playing of video games unless you are wearing headphones.

 

[edolan]

I feel like a full conversation (even quiet) is probably best had in any of the other cars... I think anything in headphones is probably okay as long as it’s not absurdly loud.

 

[Tlcooper44]

Ok.
I asked because I was awoken on a northbound Acela by a couple behind me having a rather loud conversation about boats. They were the only ones in the car speaking.

 

[Qapla]

That should not be allowed ...

 

[jebr]

My opinion would be that anything beyond quick, quiet conversation (or an extremely quick phone call) isn't appropriate for the quiet car. Any audio from electronics should be through headphones (although this should be true for any car, really) and any conversations beyond a minute or two should be in another car.

 

[Mailliw]

I'm riding on the Quiet car for the first time right now and OMFG this is relaxing. I'm not even listening to anything on my phone. This trip is going to end too soon.

 

[MARC Rider]

That should not be allowed ...

Absolutely. Any loud conversations should only be about trains.

 

[MARC Rider]

My opinion would be that anything beyond quick, quiet conversation (or an extremely quick phone call) isn't appropriate for the quiet car. Any audio from electronics should be through headphones (although this should be true for any car, really) and any conversations beyond a minute or two should be in another car.

And the people 5 rows away shouldn't be able to hear sound from the headphones....Actually, even one's seatmate shouldn't be able to hear the sounds from the headphones.

 

[RebelRider]

“This is the Quiet Car. In the Quiet Car we maintain a Quiet, Library-like atmosphere. There is no talking on cell phones here in the Quiet Car and please keep any personal conversations to a low whisper.”

I’ve shushed loud headphones in both the quiet car and regular coaches. People five rows away shouldn’t hear your headphones even in a regular coach.

 

[Old MM]

Only had one experience with the quiet car when it was offered on the Wolverine. It had such promise, the marketing symbol with the finger to the lips promised a relaxing ride. And for about half the distance to Chicago, it was. Then at Kalamazoo when a large group boarded, there went that.
Either enforce a quiet car, or don't pretend such a thing exists.
Having said that, apparently the improvement and availability of good headphones have made coach trips much more quiet in general.

 

[IndyLions]

On one of my few trips in Acela first class, I discovered the private area on the end of the car near the restroom which was great for taking a phone call without disturbing others. That function would be a welcome addition to passenger cars everywhere - especially BC. But phone calls should be strictly off limits in Quiet Cars - otherwise it’s a slippery slope.

On a related note, one thing that would be convenient for many passengers would be some enclosed compact workspaces in the Metropolitan lounges. Believe it or not, there are often people traveling on business even in the Midwest. Being able to have an enclosed space where customers can take a phone call without disturbing others would be smart. The Chicago lounge for example - while huge - has no such space. The LA lounge – while tiny – at least has a small conference room.

Let’s see, what could we call these new fangled design features…phone booths?

 

[railiner]

On one of my few trips in Acela first class, I discovered the private area on the end of the car near the restroom which was great for taking a phone call without disturbing others. That function would be a welcome addition to passenger cars everywhere - especially BC. But phone calls should be strictly off limits in Quiet Cars - otherwise it’s a slippery slope.

On a related note, one thing that would be convenient for many passengers would be some enclosed compact workspaces in the Metropolitan lounges. Believe it or not, there are often people traveling on business even in the Midwest. Being able to have an enclosed space where customers can take a phone call without disturbing others would be smart. The Chicago lounge for example - while huge - has no such space. The LA lounge – while tiny – at least has a small conference room.

Let’s see, what could we call these new fangled design features…phone booths?

You would have liked riding on the old MU Metroliner's...they actually had phone booths, as did the early Amclubs, before they were removed...prior to those, the Congressional Limited had phone booth's.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

PHL has a conference room in the lounge, and I’ve sometimes seen just one person in it, on the phone with the door closed. Also a couple of people in there working together.

I have never asked, but I imagine you would book it with the lounge attendant, like the quiet room in the local library?

It’s a nice idea but doesn’t stop the problem of the other people in the lounge walking up and down and talking loudly on their phones.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

PHL has a conference room in the lounge, and I’ve sometimes seen just one person in it, on the phone with the door closed. Also a couple of people in there working together.

I have never asked, but I imagine you would book it with the lounge attendant, like the quiet room in the local library?

It’s a nice idea but doesn’t stop the problem of the other people in the lounge walking up and down and talking loudly on their phones.

I doubt a single person would reserve the room just to make a call. Many times I’ve used conference rooms at work to make calls. I always sit where I can see the door in case someone, who is expecting to use the room for a scheduled meeting, pokes their head in.

 

[Manny T]

Not a librarian, I'm just a patron. In my experience in the library, even quiet conversations are not allowed. That is, if you are conversing with someone (more than a sentence or a word), you will be told to take it outside. Why would an Amtrak "quiet" car have a different definition? By definition, it's not a place for conversations.

Some people sitting in quiet cars don't see the signs or don't know what a quiet car is, that's one problem that usually is solvable by gently explaining.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've seen people come into the quiet car to make a phone call -- because it's quiet!

I think the quiet cars are great.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I doubt a single person would reserve the room just to make a call. Many times I’ve used conference rooms at work to make calls. I always sit where I can see the door in case someone, who is expecting to use the room for a scheduled meeting, pokes their head in.

I should have been a bit clearer—when I’ve seen one person in the conference room on the phone, they’ve also had a laptop open on the table and papers spread out, so I assumed they were having a working conference meeting with someone on the other end that needed more room and privacy than the open lounge area would permit.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I wish every train had a quiet car. In fact I wish every car other than the dining and lounge cars was a quiet car. But maybe that's just me.

Let’s see, what could we call these new fangled design features…phone booths?

People make more calls today than they did back when phone booths were a thing, but we no longer provide a facility for doing so discretely.

 

[Steve4031]

In Japan the rule is that you take and make phone calls in the areas between cars, which are quiet enough for that purpose. I was politely informed of this by the conductor when I took a call on a limited express train in coach. I moved to the vestibule and finished the call. I observed everyone else following the same rules. I also noticed the automated announcements on every train informing passengers of this requirement.

 

[zephyr17]

On the Cascades most crews announce (or used to) that long phone conversations should be taken to the vestibules.