Yesterday we were all standing at the station waiting to go to the city. Two new trains went in the other direction to Seaford. One was out of service. At 8.30am the train did not arrive, nor at 8.40am. At 8.50am there was a very quiet message over what was supposed to be a loud speaker system to tell us there was a problem with the switch and the train would arrive at 8.58am which it did more or less. It was packed. It was standing room only and it just got more and more ridiculously packed. Shoulder to shoulder. We became more and more squashed. To our credit, Adelaide people showed just how nice they could make such an uncivilised journey. We started talking to each other about different things and warning each other not to lean on the door because it was inevitable at times that some got pushed that way. We achieved the impossible of letting an old lady with a walking frame get to a seat and have it all to herself. We breathed in, we made ourselves tiny, we helped hold the lady and her frame. It was all too close for comfort and hard on those who stood for such a while. We were all so thankful for having a really good driver who was not throwing the train and us around.The old lady could see out the window and we protected her so she wouldn't feel threatened so encircled as she was and then sitting much lower than us and no easy way out. It was an exercise in trust and social skills which we accomplished well. Adelaide people just do things in such a nice way sometimes. Adelaide trains need to lift their game. I was late for the start of my film. Others might just have been going shopping. Others would have had to be places...like work... on time. No train and then a squashed , unpleasant journey is not good enough. Nor is it Adelaide. I am thankful the journey back was up to our usual standard.
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