Sydney Train Etiquette Debate: Teacher Sparks Fury Over Queue Jumping
A Sydney teacher has ignited a heated debate about the unspoken rules of train travel after repeatedly experiencing commuters pushing in front of her while she waited at the front of the queue. The woman, who normally drives, began commuting into the city three days a week via public transport for a course she is undertaking. She quickly noticed a pattern of passengers cutting in front of her, even when she was clearly the first in line to board the train.
'Is It Normal to Push In?'
'Is it normal to push in front of others who have been waiting longer to board the train and the elevator?' she asked in a Reddit thread that has since gone viral. 'I'm standing back to give people space to get off and every time someone has come along and stood in front of me. Not sure if I'm standing back too far - I don't think I am - or if I'm just too polite.'
Her post resonated deeply with dozens of Australian commuters, many of whom expressed frustration at what they perceive as a decline in public transport courtesy. One respondent offered a blunt assessment: 'Take all those things that you have been taught throughout life about manners and courtesy, then flush them down the toilet as you enter the train station. People are rude. They push in, they put their bags on seats, they put their feet up on seats, they play their music loud, they engage in loud telephone conversations. It isn't everyone and it isn't all the time, but there are some incredibly rude people on the train.'
The Great Queue Debate
The discussion quickly branched into a fundamental debate about whether queues for trains even exist. 'There's no such thing as a queue to enter the train,' argued one commenter. 'The thing arrives and you gather around a door and get in. You don't push in front of people, but you don't do mental calculations of how long people have been waiting either.'
Another added simply: 'You don't queue for the train. You just wait for people to get off, and get your own seat.' However, there was near-universal agreement on one core principle: letting passengers exit before boarding. 'No queue for train doors, but it is custom (and common sense) to let people out first. If you are exiting and people are blocking you to get in, you can yell at them,' one user suggested.
Strategic Boarding and Platform Frustrations
Amid the complaints, some seasoned commuters shared tactical advice. 'Pro tip: don't stand directly back from the doors while people are exiting, but to the side. Hug the side of the train, just wait until the train has stopped moving before you step over the yellow line,' one shared. 'That way you're not in the way of those exiting, you're not walking across the traffic heading to the stairs from the other doors as you walk forward to enter, and, crucially, it's been shown this is the optimal place to board from since you only have people on one side to contend with.'
Many participants expressed particular anger towards those who fail to wait for disembarking passengers. 'Man it's so frustrating when people on the platform immediately board the train and run into passengers trying to get off. Like WTF just wait, the trains are not speeding off,' one person ranted. Another vented: 'I have a deep and irrational hatred of it. I was that passenger a couple days ago - this woman just stood in front of me, staring idiotically. Just insane behaviour - am I supposed to walk through her? Pick her up and place her off to the side? Give her a stiff arm and charge off down the platform?'
A Broader Decline in Etiquette?
Several commenters framed the issue as part of a wider societal shift. 'I noticed a change in the last five years. Etiquette is out the window: Stay left when walking down/up stairs or escalators, let people out first, orderly line, take your bag off a three-seater on a full train so I can sit down or don't vape on the train,' one person observed.
The sentiment that Sydney-specific manners have vanished was strong. 'It's Sydney, there's no manners and everyone is only in it for themselves. I've almost stacked it a few times when getting off the train with all the people in the way trying to get in,' another commuter claimed. Calls for enforcement were also made: 'Bag on seat should be penalised and fined like feet on seats. There's cameras, make use of them.'
Metro Mayhem and Bizarre Behaviours
The debate extended to Sydney's Metro system, with reports of similar chaos. 'I have had the need to catch the Metro into town on maybe three occasions in the last four months. It's an absolute fight. And once you get on the train, there are these people that sit across two seats at a time. Whilst other passengers are standing. Does my head in,' one angry traveller said.
While some Metro stations have marked queuing systems, they are not always respected. 'Once at Chatswood there was an orderly queue and when the train arrived and doors opened, two people just went straight down the middle and jammed on before anyone else,' a user recounted.
The thread also highlighted other bizarre and anti-social behaviours witnessed on trains, moving beyond simple queue disputes. 'I had a lady paint her nails on the train... Those fumes in an enclosed space made for a fun journey,' one person said sarcastically. Another shared: 'Even better when I went to Strathfield and saw people clipping their fingernails on the train.' A third revealed: 'Coming back from the Blue Mountains, I experienced someone filing their nails, dust and debris flying everywhere. Lucky I was further down the carriage. People do be giving themselves a manicure while commuting.'
The overarching question posed by the original poster and echoed throughout the hundreds of responses remains unanswered: Has basic train etiquette truly disappeared from Sydney, or are commuters simply becoming more self-centred in their daily rush?
