Trivia: the railway's most bizarre box-ticking exercises

[Mrs. Fortescue]

I must confess that following my move to Wales I'm already getting mildly annoyed about having to wait for the Welsh announcement to finish before hearing the English, but then again up this way Welsh seems to be relatively common.

I suppose the real answer is that I ought to learn the language!

I always find it highly insulting when people come to Wales and start getting annoyed about a country using its own language.

It’s ludicrous.

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If you think that is bad, in 2003 I had to go to Cardiff on business, On arrival from London at Cardiff Central my train was late and left me a rush for the Ty Glas train , not knowing which platform the announcer then announced the train in Welsh, finally announcing it in English with the platform by which time the train had departed even though it had departed before the announcement was finished.

I mean, Ty Glas is literally a Welsh name, would have sounded exactly the same in the Welsh announcement.

 

[Ianno87]

On some peak time services, where there will always be people standing, its quite common for some people to immediately head for the tip up seats, or to stand in the vestibule, even when better seats are available, so that those better seats can be taken by someone who needs them.

Makes sense if you're only travelling one or two stops, to leave the "proper" seats if you're travelling further.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I always find it highly insulting when people come to Wales and start getting annoyed about a country using its own language.

It’s ludicrous.

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I mean, Ty Glas is literally a Welsh name, would have sounded exactly the same in the Welsh announcement.

I don't care if it insults you. The situation is ludicrous. The VAST majority of people who use the main stations in Wales do NOT speak Welsh. Having it first causes confusion and does cause people to miss trains. Add to that the English writing has been made deliberately difficult to read and it helps none.

TyGlas is indeed Welsh and is the same on the English announcement, but none of the times or platform details are.

 

[alexl92]

I mean, Ty Glas is literally a Welsh name, would have sounded exactly the same in the Welsh announcement.

Ty Glas maybe. But the platform number? Or any other info? And I think the complaint is that the english language announcement took so long to come that the psoster missed their train.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Ty Glas maybe. But the platform number? Or any other info? And I think the complaint is that the english language announcement took so long to come that the psoster missed their train.

This is exactly it and it is very common.

 

[hst43102]

Strictly speaking putting the 8th most spoken language* in Scotland all over the place is actually not the railways fault. It's very much political.

We should all be grateful that saltire face paint wasn't made mandatory for staff, and that the whistle to depart was not replaced by the waving of a claymore and the shout of "freeeeeedom"

I think it's even worse in Cornwall. The new buses have Cornish logos and branding, while the language is spoken by less than 5000 people!

 

[Howardh]

See It Say It Sorted announcements.

Either there's one particular Northern train which it isn't working on and I've been lucky enough to catch continually, or Northern have finally ditched their over-loud irritating pointless exercise which is blasted at you after every station. If there MUST be a message, stick it on the back of the seats like airline safety manuals.

I think it's even worse in Cornwall. The new buses have Cornish logos and branding, while the language is spoken by less than 5000 people!

Then if those that can't speak it, hear it...they might start to learn and use it!! Hate to see quirky languages dissapear under the tide of English.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

There is one sign in English only, at Colwyn Bay, it is at the end of the up platform:
'Are you stopping at Abergele?'

 

[tiptoptaff]

There is one sign in English only, at Colwyn Bay, it is at the end of the up platform:
'Are you stopping at Abergele?'

It's an aide memoire for drivers to check their diagrams to be sure if they are or aren't due to call at Abergele. It has to be in English only.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's an aide memoire for drivers to check their diagrams to be sure if they are or aren't due to call at Abergele. It has to be in English only.

There are similar ones at Bache and Hooton regarding stopping at Capenhurst, though that I suppose isn't in Wales.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Is there not a simple solution here? Announce the platform and destination in Welsh, then in English; then announce the calling points in Welsh and English; then announce any ancillary nonsense like where the onboard shop is, see it say it sorted etc etc last