The Squeeze

Abstract

The atmosphere on a crowded Virgin Pendolino train about to leave London’s Euston station for the north-west of England is unmistakably tense. There is not enough space for all the people and the bags. Some people are already preparing to sit on the suitcases at the end of the carriage. Even those with seats feel squashed together. People without reservations are nervously occupying seats in the hope that their intended occupants will not arrive. The train may look sleek and aerodynamic but inside it seems to press in on the passengers; the walls seem too close, the ceiling too low, the aisle too narrow. As the train leaves London strange odours are already starting to waft from the toilets as people eye one another uneasily wondering what kind of travelling companions they will make squeezed together for the next few hours. The catering trolley, with its selection of over-priced pre-packaged food sold by a hard-pressed attendant, is yet to make an appearance.