She sits on the ground, even though the train is two-thirds empty. Outside, the temperature is below zero; the floor of the wagon must be just as freezing cold. She sat near the door, a place where even passengers without assigned seats don’t want to sit because, at each stop of the train, people have to pass when entering or exiting. Yet it is this place that she chose.
Do you know who this person is? He’s the train maintenance worker. She is the one who takes care of the trash and cleaning. The paper bag for waste which is located in front of each seat, it is she who comes to get rid of it for you. She also takes care of removing the trash lying around on your tablet and cleaning the sinks and toilets.
Why is she sitting there? Because today there are few passengers. She has already passed through the wagons twice to collect the waste and, although the train has been running for two hours, the passengers are now well settled, and no longer “generate” too much waste. It is only because there is no point in her standing that she can sit down. On the other hand, when the train is full, she keeps going back and forth; and during the rare moments of respite, she is content to lean for a moment against the wall between two wagons or next to the sinks. Anyway, since her “mission” is to take care of passengers getting on and off, it makes sense that she sits on the floor near the door of the car.
Siege prohibited
It’s quite possible that you don’t even notice her, she’s so discreet, when she comes to pick up the trash you hand her. However, he is undoubtedly the person who does the hardest work on the whole train; and it’s also the only one that doesn’t have a seat. Controllers have a rest room, and rail security officers have bunks. It’s only the cleaning ladies who have nothing. And imagine – I just learned – that even if there are free places, they do not have the right to occupy them!
[…] Read more on International Mail
