Rail passengers who play music out loud on their phones or computers, or make loudspeaker calls, are the targets of a new campaign from today to get them to turn it down.

Railway byelaws already allow staff to remove such passengers, who can also be fined up to £1000, but new publicity is going to be given these powers, using the slogan ‘share the carriage, not the noise’.}

Byelaw 7 says: ‘(1) Except with written permission from an Operator no person on the railway shall, to the annoyance of any person: (i) sing; or (ii) use any instrument, article or equipment for the production or reproduction of sound.’

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: ‘We’ve all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone. It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey.

So, we’re launching a nationwide campaign reminding passengers to use headphones on trains. On top of that, we’re giving local leaders new powers to tackle loud music, vaping and littering on buses.

‘It’s a simple thing, but one that will make journeys that little bit better for all of us.’

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘It is so frustrating when the actions of an inconsiderate few spoil journeys for the rest of us, whether that is vaping, littering or blasting music out loud. Even small changes in behaviour can make a massive difference to people’s experience on public transport.

‘That’s why we’re empowering local leaders to shape bus services around the needs of their communities and taking advantage of publicly owned train operating companies to encourage people to be considerate of others on public transport and reminding them of the potential consequences if they aren’t.’

What do you think? Click here to let us know.