How to Practice Good Train Travel Etiquette

How to be a good train traveller

by Carolyn Ray

I have to thank a gentleman on a train from Dublin to Cork, Ireland, for inspiring this article. As I write this, we are facing each other with a table between us. He’s talking loudly on his phone, eating with food spread out across the entire table. As if he’s sitting on a couch, he stretches his legs out, until I am squished into the side of the train and give him a hard push out of the way with my feet. Honestly, he doesn’t even look up or stop talking, just carries on. Okay then! 

The train is my preferred way to travel, and I’ve clocked a lot of miles on the rails in the past year, crisscrossing Europe from Belgium to Italy, all over Switzerland and to small towns in Scotland and Ireland. From these experiences, I’ve curated a list of ways we can be good train travellers. Some of them may seem obvious, like our Airplane Etiquette article, but they need to be said.

Have more to add? Post them in the comments below.

Tips for proper train travel etiquette

1. Don’t block the aisle

Getting on a train is similar to getting on a plane — don’t block the aisles as you stuff your luggage on the rack above your seat, or chat with your friends. Let other folks pass quickly, and then you can return to gabbing in the aisle. Like a plane, the spaces above the seats are for small bags. If you have a large bag, find the space designed for large bags. (Another reason to pack light!) 

2. Sit in your assigned seat

Before you get on the train, know what seat you’re in. Every coach is identified from the outside, with letters like A, B, C or numbers. Inside, seats are numbered. Most seats are reserved. If you have a specific requirement, reserve a specific seat. 

(Tip: When you book your seat, consider the direction the train is going and also whether you want a table or not). As I sit on this particular train going to Dublin, this car ranges from seats 1 to 60, and there are 10 tables, each with four seats.

On the other hand, there are no reserved seats. I normally reserve a table so I can write on the train. Often, I find that people don’t realize there are reserved seats, or that their seat number is written on their ticket.

3. Keep your feet to yourself

Just as on a plane, keep your feet under or around your own seat. Do not stretch them out, and definitely do not put them on the seat in front of you. Feet on the seat is a really big no-no — some trains have fines for this.