Why do people standing in line behind one another while waiting for their commuter train?

Question

Why do people standing in line behind one another while waiting for their commuter train?

Answer 1

it's what they first learned in kindergarten... let's face it, old habits are hard to break

Answer 2

Many people have learned how to be civil with each other.  First in line, first to board.

Otherwise, you would see more injuries or worse as people fought with one another to board the train.

Answer 3

Because in the United States we're queue conscious and fair conscious.  When the same group of people arrive day after day to take the same transportation, American etiquette requires that a polite line be formed to avoid shoving and so that people who got there first have their pick of seats first.  

If you've travelled in Italy, the usual procedure is to push and shove to get to the front.

In Taiwan the lines are painted on the waiting area so that people politely stand in line.

Answer 4

In both the UK and Australia, people don't stand in line. They tend to group together on the platform at the spot where they know the carriage doors are going to open, when the train pulls in. Then it's first on gets the seat!

Answer 5

hmm lets see.  the door is only 4 feet wide and the car is 50 ft.  so people group together.  if the entire car was a door people would be scatterd on the entire platform.

Answer 6

If you have ever been in a line to get train tickets for a popular train in china, you would treasure those polite little queued up folks all the more. Those little chinese ladies give better than they get in the ticket scrums, elbows to the groin, heels grinding into your instep, but I still laugh myself silly when I hip swipe one of them and bounce them off two or three of their compatriots on the other side of them...

Just kidding...

Answer 7

because it is polite! i commute on bart to sf and in the mornings the seats are FULL! how would you like it if some jerk cut in front of you are took the last seat and you had to wait another 30 mins for the next train?

Answer 8

Because it's more orderly and safer than "Stampede Boarding."

Answer 9

They know where the doors will be when the train arrives?

I don't know, you tell me.