A female passenger aboard a high-speed train in China has sparked heated online debate after reportedly ignoring repeated warnings while speaking loudly on the phone inside a designated quiet carriage.
According to Chinese media reports, the incident happened on May 18 aboard a high-speed train travelling from Shanghai to Beijing.
Passengers said the woman had been wearing earphones and speaking at normal volume while handling work matters over the phone shortly after boarding the train.
Video footage filmed by another passenger showed a train attendant standing beside the woman holding a sign reading: “Quiet carriage, please remain quiet.”
The attendant was also seen repeatedly waving and gesturing in an attempt to remind the passenger about the carriage rules.
However, the woman allegedly ignored the warnings completely and continued her phone conversation for around 20 minutes.
Witnesses claimed that after finally ending the call, the woman did not apologise and instead defended herself by saying the phone call had already started before she boarded the train.
The incident quickly went viral online, with many netizens criticising the passenger’s behaviour and questioning whether travellers are truly respecting the rules of China’s expanding quiet carriage system.
Since February 1 this year, more than 8,000 high-speed train services across China have introduced quiet carriage options aimed at providing passengers with a quieter travel experience.
Railway authorities stressed that passengers purchasing tickets for quiet carriages are considered to have agreed to specific “quiet rules”.
These include setting mobile phones to silent mode, leaving the carriage to answer calls and using earphones when watching videos or listening to audio.
Officials clarified that the quiet carriages do not use any advanced technology to monitor noise levels and instead rely mainly on passenger self-discipline.
Train attendants may issue reminders to noisy passengers, while those who repeatedly refuse to cooperate and seriously disrupt order could be handed over to railway police.
Passengers are also encouraged to report disturbances through QR codes located on seat armrests or by contacting railway customer service hotlines.
