On the afternoon of September 27, 1825, a crowd gathered as more than 30 wagons drew into Stockton station, pulled by Locomotion No 1.
It was the opening of George Stephenson’s route from Shildon via Darlington — and the arrival of the world’s first passenger railway service.
Over the course of the eight-hour, 26-mile journey, the 600 people aboard that day contended with steam belching out of the locomotive’s engine, the squeal of brakes and a top speed of 15mph.
The Opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway 1825 by Terence Cuneo
GETTY IMAGES
What they didn’t have to worry about is music blaring out from mobile phones.
As BBC Radio 3 prepares to commemorates the 200th anniversary of that historic journey with Train Tracks on Saturday, its presenter Petroc Trelawny has told Radio Times how times have changed.
“Thirty years ago, we were complaining about Walkmans with the noise escaping from tinny headphones, but it’s moved on to something even worse and [which] feels to me incredibly selfish,” he said.
He said that Apple’s removal of the traditional headphone socket on its iPhone was a “massive problem”, adding: “It’s the epitome of selfishness to want to listen to anything and share it with other people. There are moments when we want to listen to stuff together: at the Royal Albert Hall or Wigmore Hall, but not on a train.”
Petroc Trelawny
HUGH R HASTINGS/GETTY IMAGES
Trelawny, 54, admitted that he was unsure whether he was bold enough to confront the perpetrators. “I’d like to think I would but, like most of us, I’m quite a coward and so seethe internally and don’t do very much about it,” he said. “I think it needs something broader than me getting very angry for 15 minutes and then, probably slightly red in the face, intervening.”
The Conservatives have proposed handing out fines on the spot to those who play music on buses and trains without consideration for others. Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, said passengers should not be forced to “endure somebody else’s choice of crap music blasted through a speaker at full blast”.
The comments followed a similar call from the Liberal Democrats for “headphone dodgers” to face fines of up to £1,000.
A survey of 2,174 UK adults by the polling company Savanta found that 38 per cent had experienced people playing music in public, with more than half admitting they felt uncomfortable about telling someone to turn it down.
• All aboard the ‘Nostalgia Express’ — the world’s first steam railway
Transport for London (TfL), which has put up posters urging passengers not to disturb others with loud music or calls, already has the power to fine inconsiderate commuters. But Ed Halford, a journalist for The Times, expressed scepticism that TfL has the resources to police such behaviour after he boarded the train with his music blasting out to highlight the issue.
Ed Halford on the Elizabeth line
JOSHUA BRATT FOR THE TIMES
Earl Armstrong, 32, a barista, told Halford: “Loud music has just become like white noise on Tubes now … it’s so common we just put up with it.”