What is wrong with some people?

I'm on nights this week, and for some reason there seems to be loads of idiots around.

We have a strict one way system in operation at my home station, and if any customers choose to ignore the numerous NO EXIT signs then they are generally sent back the way they came.
I was assisting on the platform last night because we had a few boisterous drunks around and one individual was about to go up the no exit stairway. I informed him and he turned round, gave me a torrent of abuse and said "Next time, I hope you get blown to pieces" I'm not a violent person at all, but I really felt like slapping him. How can someone even say that to another person beggars belief. People can be so insensitive, and selfish sometimes.

Ban on black staff lifted

Apparently on this day in 1966, the ban of black staff working at Euston mainline station was lifted, I wasn't even born then but I was surprised that the racist attitude was so blatant only 39 years ago. Thankfully we have come a long way since then.

Was LUL ever a "racist" employer? I know that even today not many staff from non-white groups are in the higher management level, but it is getting better. Most internal vacancies within LUL have a paragraph at the bottom stating that women, and staff from ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.

2 minutes silence

I only had to work a half day yesterday thanks to the roster at the station I was working. I officially finished at 12:00 but was taken off 30 minutes early by my colleague. I decided to wait around until after the 2 minutes silence. At 11:59 we stopped all the public announcements, closed the ticket office, and turned off the ticket machines. Most of our staff then came into the ticket hall to join our customers in the 2 minutes silence.

Probably around 100 or so people bowed their heads and paid their respects to the dead and injured in last weeks atrocities, except for one obnoxious suit who came running into the ticket hall, noticed all the machines were closed and the ticket office also, and started swearing at the staff to sell him a ticket NOW as he was late for work, and its all the fault of LUL and their shitty service etc etc etc. After the 2 minutes, this poor man was verbally accosted by about 10 customers. Maybe next time he will have a bit more respect for other people.

Security Alerts, Security Alerts

People seemed to be a bit more relaxed and carefree today, but the magnitude of station evacuations across the network was staggering. You would think that people would be a bit more careful about keeping their belongings and bags with them after what has happened.

We are going to have to play it safe, everytime a case is left unattended, evacuate the station straight away, and let the police give the all clear. In the past perhaps we were a bit haphazard, knowing that 99.9% of the time, it's just someone being careless and we would follow certain procedures and if we deemed it safe, then we would remove the bag and open it. Not anymore! Perhaps legislation should be brought in, to heavily fine people who cause security alerts, for all the inconvenience caused to the police, the public & LUL.

Saw the above picture on CNN and it really brings home the seriousness of the blasts, and how "fortunate" there weren't more fatalities.

Strange day

I took the bus into work today as I had just missed a train. The bus was really crowded, I wasn't able to get a seat straight away. Normally in the past when ever I have taken this bus at 05:30am, only about 6 or so people are on it.

Got into work, read all the log entries from yesterday and proceeded to assist my CSA's on the gateline.

I was surprised by the number of compliments that we received from the travelling public, we are more used to getting shouted and sworn at, so it was a nice change to be thanked for our efforts. We had a couple of Met. Police and some CSO's which I think was more of a way of providing some reassurance to the public rather than preventing another atrocity.

We had a couple of customers swearing at the staff because we weren't able to get them to Kings X. The worst one though was one American tourist on the platform who kept walking away from his suitcase. I told him 4 times to stay with his case, but after a few seconds he kept walking away, in the end I shouted at him, and escorted him out of the station, to a round of applause from some other (sane) customers.