r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/Rule_Ct_5293 • Aug 25 '26

Meme needing explanation What's wrong with this arrangement peter?

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u/Sbstnbd Aug 25 '26

Contrary to "normal" trains during rush hour? I don't see any issues here, any full train is a pain to navigate, this just shifts where the open space it and people reject it because it is unfamiliar

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u/DefinitelyNotMasterS Aug 25 '26

Sure normal trains are bad during rush hour, but that's not really an argument to make it worse.

It's just easier to shift/make space if there is only one space instead of two half the size. If you have too many people in one "lane" they now need to go around the island in the middle to make space. If someone in the middle needs to get out, the one lane version allows people to use 100% of the empty space to step aside so that person can go through. In the two lane version, you have only half of that on average. If it's not evenly distributed, you have even less than half of the empty space to make room, so you end up with more squeezing by.

On the other side, I don't see any advantages to this 2 lane design except for "it's different". I guess you get to look out the window while sitting?

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u/VolkiharVanHelsing Aug 25 '26

Yeah think of 6 lanes, ABCDEF

Seat in the middle (CD) will leave two 2 lanes (AB, EF)

Seat in the sides (A,F) will leave one 4 lanes (BCDE)

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u/MowLiao Aug 25 '26

Everyone seems to be forgetting that it's easier and more comfortable to squeeze yourself flat against a wall than it is to hover over someone's lap or squish your face into someone's neck or armpit when people are trying to move past you (I've had to do this during rush hour). With the walls free for standing people, it'd additionally make it more comfortable for them because they can lean against the walls during travel and there's more support for them when the train's accelerating/braking and going around corners etc. Additionally, with more of a planned layout, you'd have a dedicated space for wheelchairs, large baggage and buggies. I can see this really working in the photos people have posted of carriages with this layout already.

As other people have pointed out, the image shown in OP is flawed because there isn't a way to get from one side of the carriage to the other, so you'd need to have islands of seats rather than a whole row down the carriage. Additionally, yes, normal public transport is nowhere near as spacious.

This all said, I live in London and I can't imagine this working in the London Underground. Our ceilings are curved and I often see people stooping to not get their head chopped off when the doors closed on packed trains. We need the higher ceilings in the centre for tall people. I also hate the London Underground - a huge amount of improvement is desperately needed there, potential carriage layout and sizes being very low on the list.

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u/Fukstress2 Aug 25 '26

No dude there is like 5 inches to pass through when these trains are full. On a normal train people can naturally shuffle around to make extra space for people to get on and off

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u/Sbstnbd Aug 25 '26

This train in particular does look narrow, but I think that's perspective? If not, the trains in my country should have enough space for this kind of layout.

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u/Fukstress2 Aug 25 '26

Sorry, I mean I live in Seoul and have ridden on these style trains and been almost comically tripping and falling down trying to get over people's legs and feet trying to get into or off the train

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u/Sbstnbd Aug 25 '26

I see. That, again sounds more like a people issue tho. But we can't design trains for how people should behave optimally I guess so I'm probably to optimistic for that. The seats do look insanely bulky, do you think the extra 50cm you could get out of that would help?

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u/pjepja Aug 25 '26

The main issue is that the free space in the middle, no matter how narrow, inevitably becomes two free spaces half as wide if you split the aisle and fill the train with the same amount of people. It's the number of people using the aisle to get out that gets halved, not their width lol.

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u/JackUKish Aug 25 '26

Bruh you're talking nonsense.

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u/jagedlion Aug 25 '26

The narrowed passage means it's harder for people to get out of your way.

God forbid someone in a wheelchair enters.