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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Day 5 of the Platform Diaries

Dear Diary

My new BFF Nancy checked into a mental institution last night. I didn't even know we still had these. I thought one had to be committed to a hospital, but what do I know? Being a relatively sane person that is.

Nancy takes the Lakeshore East 5:20 pm train from Platforms (note the plural) 25 and 26 and claims that she has been unable to board the train without having to wait over 10 minutes to get up the stairs. Despite me asking several times for photos of this massive crowd of passengers, she has ignored this request. Even last night, as she emailed me to tell me that the 5:20 was a mess, I asked for a picture and she ignored me. She says the crowd is overwhelming and still believes that someone will eventually fall on the tracks and be killed.

You know that scene in Austin Powers (the first one - the only one worth watching) where the guy falls and the steamroller is approaching and for about three minutes he screams, "Nooooo!" as it slowly rolls towards him? I'm pretty sure if someone were to fall while everyone was waiting for the train, a train that is no where in sight, someone will help that person get back on the platform. No one would just stand around watching for several minutes as the person just lay there, praying the end comes swift.

As for me, I've had no issues. I arrive at 24 at 4:43 pm for the 4:53 through the ACC tunnel and board. There is no crowd.

Nancy needs help. I hope she gets it.

18 comments:

Gemma said...

Um...I have been on the 520 the last two nights with absolutely no issues. Granted the Monday I ran and "superwoman threw" myself onto the train, only to find out we were delayed as the Via had to depart first, but last night I arrived with a few minutes to spare and the train was there waiting for me. Steady pace up stairs and all.>>>I HATE the extra 1 minute walk with the 3 minute earlier adjust to the 407, but the 5:20, nada an issue to be heard....To be clear for Nancy, I enter at the York street base on the EAST side of the road....maybe she should try it?

Gemma said...

and yes, both sides are open to board from, but beware the 25 closes first so you get a better "last minute" chance from 26 :)

C.J. Smith said...

I'm so over her.

Anonymous said...

Nancy needs to go to GO customer service and ask them to show her on the map where are the stairwells are for 25 and 26. How can someone bitch so much but not back it up?

Jules said...

It hasn't taken me 20 minutes to get up those stairs, maybe Nancy is taking a "special" stairway to her track, the one specially reserved for her and all the other people that exaggerate their misery.

Bicky said...

Hm. I was on the 17:53 train last night, which also departs from 25/26. By looking at the map (on the flyer with the platform changes) it appears there are ample stairwells in which to enter. The theatrics on all this have been somewhat entertaining however.

Some people do not handle change well. I've been told this many times in my performance reviews at work. (Which always left me with a "huh?" reaction.) I must be mellowing out in my old age because now, I just roll with it. Meh, whatevs.

Squiggles said...

I am so confused. Is Nancy actually Karen the dingbat from last week?


I took the 5.20 Thursday & Friday last week and the 5:10 Monday and Tuesday. Never had a problem, except that I seem to forget where to line up for the coach I want. But, I get to the platform at least 10 mins before trains are set to depart.

C.J. Smith said...

Nope. Nancy is probably Karen's friend or just a different person who coincidentally takes the same train who has harassed me by text message and email every fucking day since the platforms changed expecting me to admit or profess there's a problem.

Anonymous said...

At school we had a response for people who whined incessantly (Skip to 41:39 on this Kevin Bridges standup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp6bmJWf5m0 )

Dakota said...

My only complaint about the track changes is the 4:07 LSE arrives at 4:08 and leaves st 4:12. The platform is crowded but accessible. Now if people would stop pushing to get on the train.

TomW said...

I take the 1720 LSE, and have had no problem getting up to platform 25. It's worth heading towards the western end of the platform for a less-crowded coach.

The 1720 Stouffville train departs from 27 (to the nsouh), but at some point has to end up *north* of the 1720 LSE. That means whichever departs second ends up hanging around as the other passes in front. (It would be good if the LSE was pushed back 3 mins and/or its Danforth and Scarborough stops transferred to the Stouffville train)

Gemma said...

Lol - cut and paste our response back. "nope, not a problem".
..expect for having to dodge the NUMEROUS Go/Metrolink employees just hanging around each stairwell waiting and willing to assist you as needed...with bright vests, handfuls of maps and information and lovely smiles to boot. Obviously Nancy hasn't gottent to them, or their smiles would be signficantly dimmer :)

Valentino Assenza said...

Sounds to me Nancy and Karen should really invest in a hobby like Bowling or Bingo, but chances are they would either complain that the right numbers aren't being called out or that the gutters are too close together.

As for their complaints being BS, well of course that is a famous characteristic. Sometimes people are so full of hot air they will blow smoke out their asses just to hear themselves talk.

PS CJ I really liked the second Austin Powers quite a bit, but the third one was ridiculous.

Kristina said...

She's off the rails...

...Literally. Because the chances of her, or anyone else, falling onto the tracks is about, oh, zero.

Anonymous said...

Totally unrelated, but I hope someone sends you a picture of the teacup dog who was important enough to get his own seat on the 4:07 train! I hope his fare gets checked today...

C.J. Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I think a big part of the problem is that everyone getting off in Whitby or especially Oshawa "HAS" (said slightly sarcastically) to be on that first or second car and that's why that one stairwell is very crowded. But 10 minutes? I don't think so! Take another stairwell, get on another car and walk towards Whitby or Oshawa later in the journey. There are always options!

Nora1968 said...

Well, to be fair, we Oshawa-bound passengers tend to prefer the first car on the eastbound train for the simple reason that the brilliant minds who designed the station (which is in an even greater state of disrepair and chaos than usual, thanks to endless water mein construction) thought it would work well to have exactly ONE pathway to access the parking lot from the train (and it sits - you guessed it - right at the spot where the doors to the first car eastbound open). Unless you want to add about 20 minutes to your commute time by sitting waiting to get out of the parking lot, the first car is the place to be.