Index of /logtags/public transport

When my train was at Amsterdam Zuid this morning, a passenger collapsed. Because nobody else really did anything useful (they all stared at him), I had to find the conductor and tell him what was going on, so he could keep the train in the station while we waited for the ambulance.

Apparently, people think you should just let unconscious people lie on the floor...

A new OV Chipkaart system has been introduced in Amsterdam this year, and it will be available in all of the Netherlands in a few years. The concept is generally OK: no more counting of strips on a strippenkaart or buying train tickets; just transfer some money to the card and go (there is the thing where the card issuer can track who went where, and when, but I trust that will be resolved in time).

But there's a usability problem with the gates: it's not immediately obvious where you should wave your card (especially if you're left-handed). The gates seem to have sensors on both sides, but the one on the left is actually the one on the right for the next gate. I've only used the system for the first time today, but I've already opened the wrong gate twice, requiring me to run around to the right gate. Luckily it wasn't too busy..

Today I arrived at Schiphol to catch a train to work, as I do everyday. But somehow things were different today. The entire platform was full of people, as if the previous train hadn't shown up, and as soon as the train on another platform left, everyone went completely silent.

Usually you hear a few people talking (on the phone or in person), coughing, or maybe an announcement, but not today. The only sound I could hear was that of the escalator.

Until the train arrived…