Crowded trains

I am pretty good about judging my time of getting off of work so that I can catch a train that usually isn’t packed. If I catch the train that is just on the hour, I usually can get a seat. Any time after 5:00, there’s no chance. Well, today, my team leader had to leave at 4:00 or around there. We told her that we had finished the files she had given us, and she said “okay, well you can go home. Have an early day.” R and I thought, “yeh, great.” It’s bloody warm outside, and being in the office at 4:00, that’s usually when I slow down. So I was excited to leave work early.

I get to the train station, the platform that I am supposed to leave on, and this announcement comes on. “Please pardon the interruption, but the 5:16 train to such and such train station has been cancelled due to faulty trains.” Then about 3 minutes later, ANOTHER train time was cancelled, to somewhere else. The faulty trains and cancellations usually happen when it’s really hot outside. The airconditioning mucks up I guess, and so the Connex train people have to cancel train routes. It’s not fun, at all. I ended up having to wait 25 minutes before the next train came.

And what a nightmare that was. Because a train had been cancelled earlier, all the people waiting for THAT train, had to wait and catch this one. After we all got on, the train was packed. The next train stop, people kept thinking that we could squish in more…it was very uncomfortable. It was packed, worse than a tin of sardines. And it was hot, and some people don’t know the meaning of using deoderant. I felt like my face was squished up against the window pain. (The window pane was behind a set of seats, that’s where I was jammed into.) Every train stop we took, people kept trying to squish in. One guy, had a freakin’ PLANT, a HUGE PLANT, and wanted to get on the the train. We just all laughed at him and told him he’d have to wait. Usually about the 4th or 5th stop, people usually get off, and you can usually get a seat. Nope, it took at least the 7th stop I think, before there was some breathing room.

I think this is bad, I CAN’T imagine what is going to happen during the Commonwealth Games in March. People are warning commuters about the extra amount of people who are going to be taking public transportation. They’re telling US that WE need to accommodate to THEIR needs. But we’re the people who have jobs…it’s not like we can say “look boss, but I’m going to be late.” In my case, I have flexi time, so if I’m late, I can make up the time. But it’s still not a good idea to come to work late..not in the first few months of the job. Officials are telling us that people should try to avoid the peak times. But sometimes, you just can’t avoid them. I have a feeling I’m going to have to catch the early train into the city, and start at work at 8:00. I usually catch the train to be at work at 8:15, and that’s starting to get a bit congested. Lucky for me, my train ride into the city, the station I go to, is the first stop. So I have always gotten a seat. But the train the past few days has been like 2 minutes before it’s due to leave the station. It’s usually at the station 10 minutes before it’s due to leave.

It’s going to be hell for 2 weeks, durings the Commonwealth games. I’m not looking forward to it. But there isn’t anything I can do about it. I guess that is the consequences I get, for working in the city, which is the host city for a major sports venue. ::shrugs shoulders:: The ride home isn’t so important, though I DON’T want to be driving home from the station at 8:00, after leaving work at 5:30. That’s just rediculous. Officials say that they’re going to have 15,000 more train routes for the Commonwealth games, but I honestly don’t know if that’s going to be enough. They need to put more train routes NOW, not just for the commonwealth games. The commute, going to work, or going home, is always crammed..depending on what stop you’re at. It’s insane, and utterly annoying that nothing is being done!

-current mood-HAPPY, tomorrow is FRIDAY.