“As the weather turns colder and winter sets in, not only do I begin to retreat into ‘hibernation mode’ – only venturing out into the cold when it is really necessary – but so it seems do the trains, metros and buses.
No one seems to know why, and unlike me, they can’t use the ‘I’m from a warm country, I’m not used to the cold!’ excuse. Nope, they’re all well versed in the cold, damp and gloomy weather that comes with winter. And yet every year, like clockwork – with autumn comes delays caused by ‘leaves on the track’, and in winter – well, who knows what causes it? All we know is that at the lightest touch of frost, the smallest dusting of snow…and all trains grind to a screeching halt, leaving poor passengers stranded in various stations around the country, shivering in the cold.
Yes, that’s the Dutch public transport system for you. But don’t get me wrong, on the whole it tends to function quite effectively, but for some reason, they still don’t seem to know what to do when winter rolls around. Which is a bit odd, seeing as this is a yearly occurrence; you’d think they’d have gotten used to it by now and figured out a solution. After all, a country like Switzerland is famous not only for its watches and chocolates, but for its mountains, snow and (here it comes) the punctuality of its public transport. So if a country that faces significantly more challenges when it comes to physical terrain and weather hazards can manage to have one of the most efficient train services known to man, why is it that here in the Lowlands, what doesn’t even amount to an inch of snow is enough to wreak havoc on the train network?
Leaving aside the technicalities, you still wonder about certain things. The following scenario for instance: the weather forecast predicts snow. The Dutch road services say that this is likely to cause traffic jams, and encourages people to use public transport. The train services say that more people are likely to use the trains, leading to delays and overcrowding. Now my question is: why?! I’m sure the NS has heard of logistics and planning – so if they know more people are going to be using the trains, shouldn’t they then plan accordingly to ensure that there are either extra trains, or bigger, longer trains on busy routes? Why are we reduced to entire days in which the train service is sporadic at best, and when the trains do arrive, well, sardines in a tin ain’t got nothing on what those trains are like!
Although honestly, it’s not that much different from what the trains are normally like. Some people join the army because they say the experiences you gain mean you can never be more close or intimate with a complete stranger. Well, try catching a train on weekdays around 8 a.m.. Trust me, you’ll be a lot closer to a group of strangers than you ever wanted to be.
But all this does teach you important life skills. Claustrophobia? Not a problem. Squeezing your way through crowds? Perfected down to a fine art. Staying balanced on a swaying train without spilling your coffee when you have approximately 10cm² to wedge your feet in? Not even an Olympic gymnast could do it better. Yes, as a seasoned commuter, you begin picking up little tips and tricks that make your life easier, and which you also start wishing the rest of the population would pick up on too. For instance, the fine art of letting people get off the metro before trying to get on. Perhaps this is a distinctly Rotterdammer trait – who knows. Similarly, if you’re on a crowded bus-tram-train-boat-whatever, it helps if you take off your backpack. Apart from the obvious question of why would you want to spend the next God-only-knows-how-long carrying all that extra weight around – it’s in the way! Trying to squeeze through a crowd of people with backpacks on is like trying get through an obstacle course. Not to mention the fact that the amount of space being taken up by your fully loaded backpack is equivalent to an extra person who could have taken that train (and why are you lugging around so much stuff anyway – planning to climb the Himalayas after your 10:30 lecture?). And you may think – but if the train is so crowded anyway, why do we want an extra person? Well, when it’s you Mr Backpack Nerd standing on the platform as the door shuts in your face, you’ll wish the other person with the backpack had read this article!”
Lucia Wamiti, from Kenya, is a BSc student studying Aerospace Engineering.
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