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Fairfield Train Riders: 'Keep To Yourself'

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Brad Weinstein took his children Zachery, Madelyn and Sam to a game at Yankee Stadium on Friday evening. He expected them to hear some colorful language once they got into the stands and the beer started flowing. But when it came to the train ride to the Bronx from Fairfield’s Metro-North station, he was hoping for a quieter environment.

“You should be quiet and to yourself,” Weinstein said about train etiquette. “No loud music, earphones instead of music out loud. ... And I definitely don’t like people on cell phones.”

Last week a viral video hit YouTube that was taken aboard at Metro-North train. In it, a woman who described herself as “very educated” was kicked off the train after an argument with a conductor. The argument began when the conductor heard the “educated” woman using coarse language and asked her to stop.

There are few officially posted rules as to how passengers on Metro-North are supposed to behave. Tom Mindrum, a former daily commuter from Fairfield, said that when he rode the train most regulars tended to follow Weinstein’s preferred mode — keep to yourself.

“Pretty much everybody was quiet,” Mindrum said of his typical commute. “In the morning all you’d hear is rustling papers. You didn’t have much conversation.”

But few said they would complain if people were having a quiet conversation between friends — unless, as in the viral video, the language was deemed inappropriate. Another rider into the city Friday night, a man in his late 20s named Greg, admitted he swears all the time when talking among friends. He did, however, say he’d handle it better than his “educated” counterpart. “I swear a lot,” Greg said. “But if someone told me to I’d stop. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

When riding with his kids, Weinstein hopes most riders agree with Greg’s sentiments. “I don’t think people should be swearing. It’s very offensive,” Weinstein said. “Some places you expect it, like a ballgame, but not on the train.”

What unwritten rules do you think people should follow while riding the train? Share your thought in the comments below.

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