'Dedicated' businessman works on laptop from train floor, leaving commuters stunned in 'hilarious' footage
A 'dedicated' businessman left commuters stunned when he spent two hours working on his laptop while lying on the floor of a busy train bound for London.
On Friday, June 21, Hannah Kulmatycki boarded the train at Edinburgh Waverley station at 9.30am for a four-and-a-half-hour journey to London King's Cross.
After finding her seat, the 28-year-old 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 observed that the carriage became 'overpacked' with people.
Hannah noted that a six-foot commuter, in search of a place to work, had 'no choice' but to lie down on the floor with his laptop due to the lack of available seats. Hilarious video footage shows the 'accountant' spread out in the aisle, typing on his laptop. In another clip, the same commuter is seen speaking loudly on the phone, while other passengers stared in disbelief.
Hannah found the commuter's actions amusing and praised his dedication to his job. However, after posting a video of the man’s makeshift workspace on TikTok, others quickly raised concerns about potential GDPR issues with working in such a public space.
LNER said the crowded carriage was crowded due to '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."
She continued: "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 overpacked 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 mentioned that the LNER service was overbooked due to a derailment issue in Peterborough, causing passengers from other services to board the LNER train. She found it 'remarkable' that the commuter managed to work on the floor for two hours but acknowledged that working so openly on public transport could raise potential privacy issues.
She added: "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 Wi-Fi 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 commented: "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 stated: "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."