Commuter Rails
For the past several days I have had more than my usual exposure to the commuter rail system between Connecticut and New York City. It really is amazing to me that people are willing to make an up to 3 hour a day trip from the other end of a completely different state just to work here. It has left me with a few questions though... like the large contingent of teenagers. This morning I was on the 6:30 Shoreline East and there was a rather large number of what appeared to be 16 year olds. I couldn't quite figure out where they were going. They weren't together. They didn't all get off or on at the same time, but mixed in with the standard suits and skirts was this young crowd. Who are they? Another interesting phenomenon was the "Sleeper." Every train ride I see one or two people who, no matter how crowded the train, insist on stretching out and taking 2 or 3 seats, yet even this morning when the train reached standing room capacity no one was willing to nudge the rude buggers to get a seat. These aren't the homeless people I see on the subway, who are understandably scary and best left alone, these were suit wearing grown men. Are we that afraid of telling people they are being rude? Also, and this is purley a personal gripe, why is it possible for me to buy a Shoreline East ticket at an MTA machine in Grand Central, but the same machine in New Haven won't sell me one? What glitch in the system causes that?
I suspect some of the teenagers are going to private schools in the city.