Commuters used to “mind the gap” warnings are now being asked to also mind their manners by First Capital Connect (FCC).

If the company has its way, commuters will no longer eat smelly food, listen to dubstep or leave papers on seats.

The rail firm has signalled that it is steaming back to Victorian values, by creating a new platform for etiquette when travelling aboard its trains.

But is it off the rails with its recently launched campaign – a humorous series of train and station adverts entitled “The Modern Day Guide to Train Etiquette”?

Passengers will turn into trainees when it comes to improving manners, with FCC using stylised artwork featuring character Ed Ticket, to target anti-social behaviour such as listening to loud music.

Adverts tell commuters to treat fellow passengers as they would like to be treated, and that they should not assume others share their “taste for kebabs and dubstep”.

They also ask people to walk, and not run, on stairs, arrive in good time to catch the train and not put feet on seats.

Customer service director Keith Jipps said: “Some of these messages, such as don’t leave your rubbish behind for the ‘train fairies,’ also support the £350,000 investment announced earlier this week to give our passengers cleaner trains.”

FCC is giving its entire fleet a deep clean, with extra staff being employed to spruce up trains.

A new “green zone” will be launched shortly where sections of luggage racks next to train doors will be marked up for newspaper recycling.