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NJ Transit Offers Quiet Cars, But Some Riders Still Noisy
By
Bilal Khan
Published Sep 8, 2010
Modified Sep 8, 2010
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By
Bilal Khan
Published Sep 8, 2010
Modified Sep 8, 2010
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Yesterday, NJ Transit rolled out its Quiet Commute pilot program, outfitting the first and last cars of 29 express trains between Trenton to New York City (14 in the morning, 15 in the afternoon) with the Quiet Cars. One rider, traveling to Penn Station, enthused to the Post, "I took the 8:56 quiet train this morning and I slept for the first time -- I've never been able to do that before! I've been annoyed by people talking on their phones. I love the quietness, and I will take the quiet car every day."
However, some others aren't having as a good time: newyorkcommuter Tweeted, "First check of the quiet car on #NJTRANSIT and two women are sitting next to me are chatting away" from Secaucus and "Now a woman is speaking loudly on a cell phone on the #njtransit quiet car" from Harrison. These would be apt moments for some "Shush" cards to be handed out to the noisy violators. These cards are a nice slice of zen for your commute, reading "First car, last car, quiet. No cell, no song, low talk. In peace we travel, arrive calm."
The idea, which was successfully executed by Amtrak back in 1999, may also expand to the LIRR and Metro North Railroad if NJ Transit's experiment goes well. A spokeswoman for Metro-North told the NY Times, "We are watching the NJ Transit experiment closely" but also added “Most of our trains are running pretty full these days...people don’t have the luxury of moving to another car." However, don't expect quiet cars on the subway; NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton pointed out subway travel underground is "inherently noisier."
Tagged
etiquette
mass transit
nj transit
quiet car
quiet commute
shush
Bilal Khan
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