This is fairly revolutionary. New Jersey Transit began testing no-cellphone cars on some trains yesterday, reports the NY Times.
Michael Grynbaum has the scoop:
As part of a three-month pilot program, 29 express trains between Trenton and Manhattan have acquired two quiet cars, one at each end, that promise commuters a Zen-like cocoon: “No cell, no song/low talk/in peace we travel/arrive calm,” read the pale-blue promotional posters.
Offending chatterers are given a small card by conductors that politely reminds them to shut the f*** up, and of course will receive generous doses of stink-eyes from their fellow riders.
Amtrak features no-cellphone cars, as do railroads in California, Maryland and Philadelphia. I tried out the Amtrak quiet car several years ago. People didn’t entirely respect the rule.
(At this time, we’d like to share the Trainjotting “Commuter’s Ten Commandments“. Learn ‘em. Live ‘em!)
Never underestimate the power of self-policing when it comes to unnecessarily noisy passengers. Check out what happened on New Jersey Transit when Grynbaum was reporting his story yesterday:
“Anyone who got on a cellphone at 6 a.m. would get shut down pretty quickly,” said John Place, 48, of his early-morning train to Wall Street.
Mr. Place was interrupted by a loud shushing from Thomas Carroll, who was sitting a couple of rows away. A concierge headed home to Levittown, Pa., Mr. Carroll said he dreaded the confrontations with loudmouths. “Now,” he said, “there’s no hassle.”
Wow. That’s some serious self-policing. I can’t say I’ve seen anything more than dirty looks from passengers directed toward loud cellphone users; I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone actually shush another rider, though I suspect it’s different on the sleepy early A.M. trains.
Of course, you’re wondering if and when Metro-North and Long Island Railroad adopt a quiet car program too. We’ve written about the topic before–here’s our pal Engine Bob, author of FDR’s Funeral Train, writing about why Metro-North won’t go for a no-cellphone car program. (In short, the railroad doesn’t have enough empty seats to support the cellphone free car.)
Here’s what MNR tells the NY Times:
Officials at Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road said only they would keep an eye on the New Jersey pilot. “Most of our trains are running pretty full these days,” said Marjorie Anders, the spokeswoman for Metro-North. “People don’t have the luxury of moving to another car.”