I don't like that there aren't any hand grips on the J line trains anymore. Since they were fitted with the stabilizers the Sinauna use for their long-distance trains, there have been so many changes: the interiors are roomier, there are fewer seats and the railings and hand grips are gone.
That makes me anxious. What if something goes wrong? Our trains have always, ALWAYS had hand grips, or at least guard rails, or just rubber straps, for crying out loud. We had SOMETHING. It made sense as a safety measure. If the train operator hits the brakes suddenly, like it's happened many, many times in the past, you had something to hold onto, to keep from being tossed forward.
"You'll never go off-balance, not even if it crashes," the billboards at the main J stations inform us. Personally, I find that hard to believe. Then again, there hasn't been a single trainwreck in the history of Sinauna's meddling in our transport sector so, whatever.
Now that there's nothing to hold on to, I get nervous when it's crowded. At any time, the train operator could change speed drastically, the stabilizers could fail, and then what's going to happen? Small people like me are going to get squished in the sudden deluge of commuters.
That's why I don't ride up front anymore.
And what about the kids? Won't somebody think of the kids? I have a three-year-old and she's everywhere. Can't keep her still for a single second.
I look away and she's off on her own. And then where does she end up? On the damn ceiling, is where. Not a single strap or guard rail to hold onto as she flits about. There were times when the whole train banded together to help me bring her down. There were times when I've had to help catch other people's kids, too. It's all a game to them, but sometimes they go out of control and panic because there are NO HAND GRIPS OR GUARD RAILS.
I guess it's a good thing pets aren't allowed on board, or they'd also be all over the place.
I'm grateful for parents who smile and say they understand. "I got kids, too. They're a handful at that age." But where's the train management's responsibility in all of this?
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Reasons to Hate the Commute
Fantasy- Ed.'s note: In 2024, during an aggressive PPP (public-private partnership) drive, the Philippine government partnered up with the massive but extremely secretive Sinauna Group of Companies to deliver a host of basic services to the Filipino people...
