Maybe someone could explain why it is necessary to reach the top of an escalator before everyone else. Is your work so crucial that 5 seconds is going to make so much difference or is it that you just don't like standing still?
Yeah, actually sometimes I'm in a hurry. Sometimes I'm trying to make it to a plane or get to a meeting that starts at a particular time, and making it to one train versus the next one fifteen minutes later can make or break an opportunity. Does that make sense?
Yes, thanks
During rush hour the platforms are packed meaning you might have to wait for 2-3 trains before you can board. So arriving at the platform a few seconds earlier can shorten your trip by 10 minutes or more depending on your route.
Thanks, it was a genuine question and this goes someway to explaining what, to an outsider, looks like crazy behaviour.
Some of the escalators are very long and very slow, you can save a couple minutes, combined with less congestion at the ticket gates (because you just beat most of the people flooding the station from your train)
Also catching a connection. Running is usually involved given the wonderful lateness our railways pride themselves on.
5 seconds makes all the difference when you're running for a train.
Why being fast and energetic when we can be slow and inefficient?