LIRR Starts Banning Cell Phones on Train Cars

[scrabbler1]

Here on Long Island (New York), the Long Island Rail Road, the nation's busiest commuter rial system, has just begun banning cell phones in some cars (actually, one CAR for now, per train) on an experimental basis, creating "Hush Hour" cars on some of its AM and PM rush hour trains.

I am glad to see this development even though it is 3 years too late for me. This had long infuriated me in the 2000s and I had written many letters to the LIRR asking them to do this. As the commute was my main reason for ERing 3 years ago, I have been on the LIRR only once since I stopped working.

Shhh! LIRR introduces quiet cars on Far Rockaway line during rush hours - NY Daily News

I hope the response to this is huge to the point that these Quiet Cars will become the majority of cars the way non-smoking cars became a majority in the 1970s and 1980s before the LIRR banned smoking cars (and since then, on platforms and in other common areas) circa 1988.

 

[Ronstar]

Chicago Metra has Quiet Cars also. Like New York, only certain trains have them. So far they are on arriving trains before 9 am and departing trains between 3:30 and 6:30pm. I find the train rides quiet anyway unless there is a bunch of children on the train, and that only happens in the summer.

 

[mystang52]

Ditto for NJ Transit. I "always" take the designated quiet car. The one time I didn't the difference was obvious...and very annoying.

 

[arebelspy]

As the current young generation is talking less and less and texting (and using various IM protocols like Facebook chat and such) more and more, I could see this becoming a thing in the future. Still easy to browse Facebook and text in a silent car.