Televisions to be installed on FCC trains

[stut]

Confirmed in this recent online chat.

Personally (as an FCC commuter), I think it sounds horrendous. Yes, there will be quiet carriages, but that's not much help on a packed train.

What are others' thoughts on this?

 

[dave_wm]

Up here in the West Mids we've had them for about 5 years. They're pretty annoying (especially on a quite a lengthy journey - they're on about a 15 minute cycle). But they don't tend to be on before 0800 or after 2000, and you get a few drivers who somehow manage to turn off the sound.

 

[me123]

We have them on buses, but they just show adverts as far as I know. I'm not a fan. The best option would be to have headphone sockets for travellers although I'm not sure how that would work on a full-and-standing peak time train.

However, things like service updates and news bulletins aren't a bad idea, so maybe it won't be too bad. At least they're not going to be showing Kids TV or Big Brother or anything like that!

 

[Pumbaa]

How about running a decent service first FCC? Waste of money really IMO, and yes I agree with the last guy who says:

Oh, and by the way can you please amend your announcements, they should say "First Capital Connect IS sorry for the inconvenience" not ARE. FCC is a single entity.

 

[EMT Commuter]

They're probably not paying for them, most likely done a deal with a media company that make money from selling the advertising.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

We have them on buses, but they just show adverts as far as I know. I'm not a fan. The best option would be to have headphone sockets for travellers although I'm not sure how that would work on a full-and-standing peak time train.

We had them on some new buses where I used to live (before 2000), just adverts on a cycle, after a week or two some weren't switched on and a month or so later some of the buses had lost them and gradually they disappeared.

 

[Metroland]

Up here in the West Mids we've had them for about 5 years. They're pretty annoying (especially on a quite a lengthy journey - they're on about a 15 minute cycle). But they don't tend to be on before 0800 or after 2000, and you get a few drivers who somehow manage to turn off the sound.

Slightly different, I've seen those screens on those trains and they were awful. BBC news 24 thrust down everyone's necks (And I'm a fan of the channel, but on a train it was entirely unnecessary!). It's like we can't 'cope', unless there is a TV screen or music playing in the background. Rather like these dreadful 'radio stations' that have grown up in many shops, 80% of the music they play is total crap and is very annoying, or have incredibly naff and annoying jingles. How the staff cope with it God only knows.

But according to that interview the screens are for customer information. So I'd imagine delay information, possibly current train position, expected time of arrival at the next station, maybe promotion of offers.

 

[me123]

We had them on some new buses where I used to live (before 2000), just adverts on a cycle, after a week or two some weren't switched on and a month or so later some of the buses had lost them and gradually they disappeared.

We still have them, but I've only seen them used once. I was on the bus for 10 minutes and it began to do my head in! But some news headlines wouldn't be bad in my opinion.

 

[class377man]

I don't see these surviving many late night trips round the Sutton loop...

 

[stut]

But according to that interview the screens are for customer information. So I'd imagine delay information, possibly current train position, expected time of arrival at the next station, maybe promotion of offers.

That is indeed that case, but if you look on further in some of the online discussions, it's admitted that there will also be news bulletins and 'commercial advertising'.

I think it's time to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones...

 

[jon0844]

Seeing updated news headlines, real time travel information, weather and so on is fine - but they need to be set up to show large summary style text, or a ticker bar showing news with adverts above. Sound has to be a big NO NO! It's really not needed, in my opinion - and I say that despite being fully aware of DDA regulations. It's not an essential service, as long as it continues to read out 'next station' information and possibly transport running information.

Forget a quiet carriage, as it was quickly pointed out on the forum that people cannot always choose the carriage they want as they go where the room is.

And, FWIW, I brought up the question on the forum - and I was glad to see they answered, considering it probably wasn't supposed to be public knowledge just yet!

 

[Daimler]

They were tried on the Paris Metro a couple of years back, but without sound. It was pretty good actually, as whenever you approached a station it would display a map of the local area, plus what other lines you could connect to, and, if it was an SNCF/RER station, the times of next departures to various places. In between times, mini nature programs with subtitles would appear - I don't remember any adverts, so I suspect it was government-funded or something!

I have nothing against TV screens if they are without sound, but I do object to being forced to listen to something I don't want to.

 

[westcoaster]

just a couple of things about the tv idea: i see in the fcc forum people were saying about the noise and disturbance this may cause, but on the other hand wanting more announcments to be done i.e welcome aboard, travel info, thanks for traveling. i have no problem with this except it cant be done with a doo train unless you have some kind of pids/pis fitted to the train that can recieve the infomation from a wireless device, other wise it would mean the driver doing it, how would he recieve the infomation via text on his work phone ( big no no just look at the crash in LA caused by the driver txting), via the cab radio ( as the csr (cab secure radio) only let one call at a time be made in a certain area, this has massive implications if their were an emergency and the line was blocked because of a tube update), i personally think it will be a good idea to have these fitted, but maybe only sound when there is a travel update coming through/ safety announcments/next station, and to remain quiet when the adverts/commercial info is going.

just my two pence worth.

 

[jon0844]

Drivers are only asked to call out the stopping pattern (and safety advice) and 'next station' information - when there isn't an automated system available.

Some go beyond the call of duty and will announce additional information - like telling people going southbound on the Victoria line to stay on (the Moorgate train) to Highbury & Islington and change there, what service the train is for people who have boarded* etc.

Some don't do anything other than the safety bit (so that's obviously considered VERY important) and don't say the next station at all. If the train has PIS, many won't put it on for late night services.

For the benefit of the partially sighted or deaf users, some announcements are necessary and we can't even debate whether we should have them or not. News, weather, music or adverts are NOT essential - so I'd have the screens in silence for everything but specific travel information and guidance.

* Many stations on the FCC have screens or speakers that don't work, or even situations where one sign is shared over two platforms - and won't show any info if a non-stopping fast line train is going through. So, people rushing to get a train won't necessarily know where it is going to go/stop.

 

[Failed Unit]

Confirmed in this recent online chat.

Personally (as an FCC commuter), I think it sounds horrendous. Yes, there will be quiet carriages, but that's not much help on a packed train.

What are others' thoughts on this?

Central trains and C2C had them for a while, from what I understand the passengers absolutely hated them.

 

[MCR247]

Do they still have them on 323s? They get on my nerves after 5 minutes!

 

[whoosh]

Why have them? What a waste of electricty! We've got newspapers and mobile phones with internet browsers if we 'want' to see the the news or weather. There's maps and timetables at the stations to tell you where to go and connections to make. Recorded announcements are repetitive enough if you have to listen to them everyday, and even a person saying them will often be repeating a 'corporate response' script.

Whatever happened to a peaceful journey?

Isn't there enough advertising around already? Well, I thought there was a few years ago, but then I happened to see a boxing match on telly with a .com address in body paint on the boxer's back!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,49197,00.html

There's no end to it...!

 

[Mojo]

Do they still have them on 323s? They get on my nerves after 5 minutes!

They do have them but it's very rare they're working. Normally it's just a blank screen but often you get the logo for the company (ScreenFX).

IMO it'd be ok if it was silent such as seen on many Metro systems around the world.

 

[The Box Photter]

How about running a decent service first FCC? Waste of money really IMO, and yes I agree with the last guy who says:

As far as I could make out from the recent FCC Online Meet The Directors, the TV screens are a done deal based on some spurious "passenger survey" carried out before First Group won the FCC franchise.

I suspect the question on the survey went something along the lines of....

"Would you like to have real-time service information available on our trains?"

When it should have said....

"Would you like to have your journey disrupted further by annoying meaningless safety announcements and adverts designed to swell the First Group profits?"

I thought there is a byelaw which prevents the use or playing of electrical/entertainment equipment on board a train that might cause disturbance or annoyance to passengers? Does this byelaw not apply to the train operator? Any legal experts on this forum?

 

[jon0844]

I'd love to know what the question was, or how it was asked.

Do you want to have screens installed on the train that show information, or go without and not have a clue what's going on and start to cry?

I'd also like to know exactly who they asked. Was it standing on platforms asking people, or did they round up some people for a focus group meeting. Or did they just make up the data?

I think screens are a good idea, but they MUST be without sound for all but the transport information. Something a bit like the information screens they've got at Finsbury Park, which show news, weather, sport and running information. There's a ticker at the bottom that runs constantly, which seems perfect for both passengers on the train for a long time - or those getting on or off in a relatively short time.