Commuter on packed Edinburgh train lies on floor for two hours to work

A businessman who boarded a London-bound train found it was so busy he had no choice but to lay on the floor for two hours to work on his laptop. Hannah Kulmatycki had boarded the train at Edinburgh Waverley station at 9.30am to make the four-and-a-half-hour journey to London King's Cross last Friday.

After finding her seat, the 28-year-old said she fell asleep for the first two hours of the trip. When the train stopped at Newcastle station to pick up more passengers the climate change scientist claims her carriage became 'overpacked' with people.

Hannah says this is when one six-foot commuter looking for a place to work on board was left with 'no choice' but to lie down on the floor with his laptop as there was nowhere else to sit. Footage shows the 'accountant' spread out down the aisle typing away on his laptop.

In another clip the same commuter can be seen speaking loudly down the phone while other train passengers stare at him in disbelief. Hannah said she found the commuter's stunt hilarious and praised the man's dedication to the nine to five grind.

But after posting a video of the man's trainfloor workspace on TikTok others were quick to speculate there could be potential GDPR issues with his choice to work in such a public space. LNER blamed the crammed carriage on 'disruption' caused by 'a broken down train elsewhere on the network that affected services'.

Hannah, from Edinburgh, said: "I had booked a seat because you normally find it is absolutely jam packed when you head to London regardless of what train you are on. Lots of people started to get on at Newcastle Station and I think this is where he [the man in the video] got on.

"It was jam packed. People were standing in every single aisle and you couldn't get to the washroom. There were people standing everywhere and he was lying down. He did this for the whole journey from Newcastle to London.

"He was dedicated to his job and didn't change positions for the whole journey. He was lying beside me for at least an hour or two. People were trying to get by him and walk over him and he would almost do a burpee movement.

"He would push himself up, stand up [to let them pass] and then immediately drop back to the floor. I know he worked for an accounting firm and I think I heard every comment he made. I just thought it was funny at first.

"He seemed very comfortable on the floor and it looked like he had done this before. He Facetimed his family at one point and they did not seem surprised that he was lying on the floor to work. He was definitely over six foot.

"The train was so over packed so it seemed like there wasn't really another option for him. I guess he could have stood up and placed his laptop on the top of a seat or asked someone to use the table but he seemed to be okay lying flat out on the ground. Everyone was in a little bit of disbelief. I have been on a lot of trains in my life and seen some crazy things but this is just next level.

"The fact that he kept going back to the floor after people were moving past him shows his dedication. It's a perfect depiction of the state of UK trains at the moment."

Hannah claims the LNER service was overbooked due to a derailment issue in Peterborough causing passengers from other services to board the LNER train. She said she found it 'remarkable' that the commuter managed to work on the floor for two hours , but agreed working so openly on public transport could raise potential privacy issues.

Hannah said: "I have worked on a train in the past and the Wi-Fi and phone service is never great so the fact that he could do this was remarkable. At the same time I don't think I would have been on the floor shouting as loud as he was.

"He wasn't talking about anything specific but he was talking about what he was doing for the company in his auditing accounting job.

"I've worked on the train before but you do find that you can't always do all the jobs you would be doing at your desk because there is the wifi issue and people are around and you just never know."

Since posting the video online, Hannah's clip has received over 185,000 views and 16,500 likes. One user said: "I'm just thinking about GDPR."

Another added: "This is wild but imagine the pressure he is under if this is how he acts to get the work done."

A third said: "As someone who used to work in Compliance, this gives me so much anxiety. This sort of work should only be done somewhere private."

A fourth added: "To be fair, if there's no seats, it's a long journey and you need your laptop out, what else you gonna do."

An LNER spokesperson said: "On Friday 21 June there was disruption caused by a broken down train elsewhere on the network which affected services. Our teams worked hard to support customers travelling during this time, with ticket acceptance being put into place and an extra stop made at Doncaster to keep customers on the move. Regular updates were provided on our social channels and via our website. We thank customers for their understanding."