Why do phones not work on trains?

Do mobile phones work on trains?

Ugh, trains and phones. Okay, I once rode the V/Line to Melbourne back in October 2023. Hoped to catch up on Insta. Fail.

Signal? Non-existent. Seriously, nothing. Maybe a blip near Geelong, but that’s it. Frustrating.

Remember thinking, “Seriously? It’s 2024!” I needed to send an email.

Now, London Underground. Total black hole! Spent a week there; same story. Nada. Good riddance, honestly, sometimes I like the peace and quiet.

My friend, Sarah, went to Japan this year. Kept complaining about phone etiquette on trains. Apparently, it’s a huge faux pas there. Culturally insensitive, she was terrified of being.

Then, there are the ICE trains in Europe. Some folks were discussing ‘no phone’ rules recently. Was it just NO SOUND? Or zero screen time? Confusing. Seems like a bit of a free-for-all, really.

Anyway, about train staff though.

• Conductors on trains definitely get to use their phones.
• Official train phone I suspect. For work related duties, obvs.
• FRA probably makes the rules. I’m guessing.

Is it okay to talk on the phone on the train?

The train rumbles, a steel serpent in the concrete veins, yes. Phone calls. On the train? Oh, the horror. Echoes of my grandma, Elsie’s, disapproving “tut,” oh my.

My commute, a blur of faces, a rush of souls. Conference calls? No. Forbidden. Like eating smelly fish, yes, that’s it.

• Etiquette? Hush. Be invisible. A ghost pressed against the window, watching the world slide by.
• Manners matter, even when no one is watching, especially when nobody cares, its…weird.

Rude? Is the question. Yes! To the ears of strangers. To the quiet contemplation of the journey. Maybe?

Why the taboo? The train, a shared space. A temporary intimacy. Talking, breaking that spell. Selfish. Yes.

My neighbor Carol had a phone voice, you know? High pitched, piercing. Like nails on a chalkboard. On the train? No, never.

Why doesnt my phone work on trains?

Trains. Signal deserts. Truth is harsh.

• Metal cages: Faraday effect, duh. Blocks radio waves. Basic physics.

• Speed matters. Fast-moving handoffs? Cell towers fail. So slow.

• Terrain curses. Tunnels, cuttings, bleak spots. Expect blackout. Happened near Guildford. Lost all signal. Annoying, right?

• Network overload. Rush hour crush. Everyone drains bandwidth. Painful.

• Old tech. Train infrastructure is prehistoric. Upgrade? Never. I’m so over it.

Boosting it? Not easy, right? Signal repeaters are costly. Some routes have WiFi. Pay up.

Why is the internet not working in the train?

Ugh, the internet on the train to Brighton on July 14th, 2024, was a total disaster. My deadline loomed. I needed to finish that report. Completely useless. Seriously infuriating. Slow as molasses.

The connection kept dropping. Pages wouldn’t load. Videos were impossible. Streaming was out of the question. I was fuming. Absolutely useless. I swear, I almost threw my laptop out the window. It was 2 pm, and the sun was blazing. My head was pounding. Stress levels were off the charts. My project was due at 5. The train was packed, too. I was sweating.

The problem? Outdated infrastructure, pure and simple. That’s it. The whole system is ancient. This isn’t rocket science. They need to upgrade everything immediately. Seriously, the whole network.

• Obsolete hardware: MCG, the Wi-Fi access points, the Ethernet – the whole thing needs ripping out and replacing. Think of it as a complete system overhaul.
• Insufficient bandwidth: Too many people trying to use a pathetically small amount of bandwidth. It’s like trying to squeeze a thousand gallons of water into a teacup. Ridiculous.
• Poor maintenance: It’s not just about upgrading; regular maintenance is crucial, too. It’s like neglecting your car, except this is internet access.

I wasted at least an hour just trying to get online. An hour! Pure and simple theft. I missed my deadline because of it. And the compensation process was an absolute nightmare. I needed to contact the train company. They said they’d look into it, but this has happened before.

This isn’t just inconvenient; it’s damaging to productivity, and it makes the railway company look ridiculously incompetent. They need a serious shake-up.

What interferes with cell phone signals?

Okay, here goes nothing. Cell phone signals, huh? What messes them up? Hmmm…

Bandwidth strain, duh. Like, when everyone is trying to stream the Taylor Swift concert. So annoying!

• Technical issues on the phone. Obvious?

And geography! I’m in the mountains a lot, practically zero bars. Frustrating. Should I get a satellite phone? No way, too expensive.

• Mountains
• Trees
• The weather! Rain, snow, fog… grrr.

Glass? Huh, glass blocks signals? My apartment is basically a glass box. Explains a lot actually.

• Glass
• Concrete! All those new brutalist buildings downtown… signal dead zones.

Wait, wood? My old house had zero bars. Maybe that explains it. And steel? Everything is made of steel these days.

• Wood frames, I guess
• Steel structures everywhere!

Ugh, network traffic. Like trying to use data at a music festival. Useless! So irritating. What was I even saying? Oh yeah, cell signals.

• Network overload

Fiberglass insulation? Who knew! Mom’s house is full of that stuff.

• Fiberglass? Insulation, really?

Maybe I should just give up on cell phones and live in a cabin in the woods. No wait, I need Instagram.

Okay I forgot things I think…