Friends of the Rail Forum

Rail passengers demand same rights as farm animals

Rail passengers are pleading for the same legal protection as farm animals after it emerged that train operators can carry commuters in temperatures which would be illegal for cattle, goats and pigs...

Rail union RMT slams continuing franchise shambles as regulator confirms cattle get hot weather protection but not humans

Cattle 'get more rights in transit'

While I sympathise with the passengers, I'm a little uncomfortable with this being portrayed as a "rights" issue. After all, passengers have the right to get off the train and to choose to use another form of transport such as car, bus or plane, whereas animals don't.

Mind you, from my experience of frequent flying, airline passengers are often treated rather more like cattle. You queue up, go through a gate, get put in a holding pen, queue up again, through another gate, into another holding pen, then you're finally channelled into a confined space where you are held for several hours with very limited outside vision. You are fed when the company decides you should be fed, not when you are hungry. It's a herd mentality with little room for individualism. Admittedly the temperature control is a little better than in an overcrowded commuter train, but that's about the only perk of air travel.

I agree with you, John. Whilst UK train pax may have reason to complain, if they did an immediate and direct comparison with air travel, they would soon change their minds. Even Euston Station is quick to transit and efficent when compared with check-in and boarding procedures at Heathrow T5. Oh, and the walk down the platforms at Euston (even to the front coach of the front-most train - why is there always more than one stabled on the track, the furthest of which is the one leaving first?) aren't a tenth as long as the many, many walks, transits, lifts, travelators, escalators and air-bridges traversed at T5 en route to board a plane. Not only that but train pax do not have to take off and replace half their clothing at security either.

Having just done a return trip to the UK on their national airline which shall remain nameless, I had to wonder why they wasted so much (in reality so little) good farm produce and effort on supplying on two almost inedible meals! I have had eggs served many ways; fried, boiled, scrambled, poached, omletted, etc. But congealed eggs was a new one!