Information phrases which grate

[Horizon22]

The one that grates me there is "belongings". Such an antiquated word.

The most annoying announcements of all time must surely be the safety announcements on FGW services in the early 2000s. After a while, FGW must have realised, so they only ran them after every second station, instead of every single one.

I am still wondering where the passenger "saloons" are on sprinters. So I never did get to see those posters.

I imagine they were so incessant due to the aftermath of the crashes at Ladbroke Grove & Southall.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Plrase use all the doors: there are twenty on this side alone - spare a thought for when we had EPBs - a ten car would have had 89.

Move down the platform - I'd rather wait here near the exit, because that's where people are getting off the train. (And if I do move down, you'll probably give the Right Away before I've got to the next door).

 

[Aaron1]

Not an automated message.

But about a month ago I was on the Cleethorpes/Manchester train and the conductor when making his announcements used up so many words it was crazy, and every time he did it after every station he said the exact same thing it's almost as so he was reading from a script.

Good Morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard this Transpennine Express service to Manchester Piccadilly, today we will be calling at (insert stations here)... now this train is formed of 6 coaches however I must now inform you all that owing to the design of the train those passengers who are accomodating the front 3 coaches do not have me on their train as I am situated in the rear, therefore ladies and gentlemen should you require my attention today please leave the train at the next stop and board the rear 3 coaches where I am situated.

Each announcement seemed to last well over a minute

 

[lachlan]

Not an automated message.

But about a month ago I was on the Cleethorpes/Manchester train and the conductor when making his announcements used up so many words it was crazy, and every time he did it after every station he said the exact same thing it's almost as so he was reading from a script.

Good Morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard this Transpennine Express service to Manchester Piccadilly, today we will be calling at (insert stations here)... now this train is formed of 6 coaches however I must now inform you all that owing to the design of the train those passengers who are accomodating the front 3 coaches do not have me on their train as I am situated in the rear, therefore ladies and gentlemen should you require my attention today please leave the train at the next stop and board the rear 3 coaches where I am situated.

Each announcement seemed to last well over a minute

To be honest all of the information in that announcement sounds important and you'll have people getting on at each stop who may find it useful

 

[Aaron1]

To be honest all of the information in that announcement sounds important and you'll have people getting on at each stop who may find it useful

It's not what he announced, it's how we used so many words to announce it all when it could have been done in much less but still got the information out there.

 

[py_megapixel]

Good Morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard this Transpennine Express service to Manchester Piccadilly, today we will be calling at (insert stations here)... now this train is formed of 6 coaches however I must now inform you all that owing to the design of the train those passengers who are accomodating the front 3 coaches do not have me on their train as I am situated in the rear, therefore ladies and gentlemen should you require my attention today please leave the train at the next stop and board the rear 3 coaches where I am situated.

Ah yes, I hate announcements which over-explain.

TPE have another one about not forgetting bags in the luggage racks, and LNWR has one which goes "Please step down onto the platform before removing heavy items of luggage or pushchairs". It's only a matter of time before that evolves into a step-by-step list of instructions for how to exit a train.

"This train will shortly be arriving at Wolverhampton. Passengers wishing to leave the train here are requested to stand up, except in the case that they are already standing, and collect their bags and other personal items, not forgetting anything in the luggage racks above the seats, in the stacks at the end of the carriage, under seats or tables, or in the space between any other seats. Once this has been done, the passengers are requested to make their way to one of the exit doors, which may be found approximately eight metres from the end of each carriage, and are easily identified by absence of rows of seating. If other passengers were there before you, stand behind them, and wait for them to alight first. Hold onto one of the handrails, which are yellow, until the train has come to a halt. Ensure that the door you are stood at is immediately adjacent to a platform - if not, move to the door on the opposite side of the carriage. Wait for the upper of the two yellow buttons at mounted at waist height in the wall next to the door to start flashing. Then move your finger towards this button and, resting your finger on the button, momentarily apply enough pressure for the button to depress slightly. The door will start to slide open. Once the door is open and any passengers in front of you are off the train, step forwards carefully and still holding the handrail if needed, step onto the platform. Once you have done this, lift any heavy items or pushchairs onto the platform. Note that if another passenger has already carried out the aforementioned procedure relating to the button next to the doors before you and the door remains open, there is no need to repeat it. We regret to inform passengers wishing to alight at Wolverhampton that they have now missed their station."

 

[185143]

I've heard "we are currently being held at a red aspect" on Southern.

There's a sign on the platform at Dalwhinnie that says something along the lines of "Most trains depart from platform 1. However during Out of Course working, services may use both platforms."

Can't remember how it's phrased, but the term "Out of Course working" is definitely used. And yes it is an official ScotRail sign, that is intended for passengers. Can't help but wonder how many passengers understand that term...

And more on topic:
"For the protection of everyone, you must wear a face covering, that covers your nose and mouth onboard trains and at stations at all times, unless you are exempt." After EVERY. SINGLE. STOP. onboard any Northern service. They introduced a very long winded one last summer containing health advice, self isolation guidance and "... contact NHS 111 on 111...". Fortunately it didn't last too long as the amount of units where the PIS mysteriously stopped working suddenly skyrocketed!

 

[trainophile]

There's a sign on the platform at Dalwhinnie that says something along the lines of "Most trains depart from platform 1. However during Out of Course working, services may use both platforms."

Can't remember how it's phrased, but the term "Out of Course working" is definitely used. And yes it is an official ScotRail sign, that is intended for passengers. Can't help but wonder how many passengers understand that term...

And more on topic:
"For the protection of everyone, you must wear a face covering, that covers your nose and mouth onboard trains and at stations at all times, unless you are exempt." After EVERY. SINGLE. STOP. onboard any Northern service. They introduced a very long winded one last summer containing health advice, self isolation guidance and "... contact NHS 111 on 111...". Fortunately it didn't last too long as the amount of units where the PIS mysteriously stopped working suddenly skyrocketed!

Don't forget "we understand that not everyone will be able to wear a face covering". At which point those who were shuffling guiltily in their pockets cease, and sit back unmasked in their seats!

 

[leytongabriel]

Sometimes you can get several for the price of one. "We are now arriving into 'X'". " 'X' will be our next station stop". "Please remember to take all your *personal* belongings with you".

YES! Marvellous. Followed by " This is X. Change here for ....." just as the doors are closing. How did anyone ever get anywhere before all these 'helpful' announcements became the norm?

 

[trainophile]

Trains where they close and lock the doors for departure and then announce "This is the train for ***, calling at *** *** ***. Hard luck if you're on the wrong train, it's a bit late by then.

 

[TFN]

‘The next fastest direct service’ when a train has been cancelled, used at Thameslink core stations. Which not just really grates on the ears but is pointless because the selection of stations is so arbitrary - eg announcing at City Thameslink the next fastest direct service to Farringdon, 5 minutes walk away and which every NB train serves

Yesterday I heard the announcement “Please ensure you have the correct ticket to travel on this service” after every alternative service for the cancelled train. This was at Farringdon NB.
So it went like this:

“Passengers for A and B, your next fastest direct service is now expected to be the xx:xx departing from Platform 4. Please ensure you have the correct ticket to travel on this service.
Passengers for C and D, your next fastest direct service is now expected to be the xx:xx departing from Platform 4. Please ensure you have the correct ticket to travel on this service.
Passengers for E, your next fastest direct service is now expected to be the xx:xx departing from Platform 4. Please ensure you have the correct ticket to travel on this service.”

They really didn’t have to add the last part about the ticket.

 

[urbophile]

'Alight' is another railway jargon word that annoys me. Does anyone ever use it in normal conversation? What's wrong with 'get off', or 'leave the train'?

 

[TwoYellas]

If I can use an airline example.

The Ryanair "on time arrival" jingle from approximately ten years ago. I found it quite cheesy - but also funny in a way.

 

[YorksLad12]

'Alight' is another railway jargon word that annoys me. Does anyone ever use it in normal conversation? What's wrong with 'get off', or 'leave the train'?

It is used elsewhere - buses, for example. And in the song Purple People Eater.

That said: I think the automated voice on TPE trains says "If you are leaving the train here..." which does sound much nicer.

 

[lachlan]

It is used elsewhere - buses, for example. And in the song Purple People Eater.

That said: I think the automated voice on TPE trains says "If you are leaving the train here..." which does sound much nicer.

Albeit wordier, which is a bad thing according to some posters here

 

[The exile]

'Alight' is another railway jargon word that annoys me. Does anyone ever use it in normal conversation? What's wrong with 'get off', or 'leave the train'?

GWR have started to use “leave the train” and I have to say that my reaction is “what’s wrong with the single word ‘alight’”? Not everything has to be reduced to the lowest common denominator - if you don’t know what a word means - find out!

 

[GordonT]

Some information phrases grate because they don't sound very convincing and tend to understate things.
"A member of train crew has been taken ill, and AnyTOC are unable to run trains between X and Y."
The reality is more likely to be that (say) 30% staff at a particular depot are off ill resulting in multiple cancellations on various services including X to Y.

 

[TheSel]

Commonly announced at Liverpool Central (Northern Line island platform):

"The Lift is at this end of the platform".

All well and good if you can see the announcer, but if you've just alighted [to wind up some previous posters who dislike that word!] at the Hunts Cross end you've just got this etherial voice and you've no idea which is "this end".

 

[Oxfordblues]

This from the 1970s: "Sorry for the delay to your journey today. This was caused by late running". Priceless!

 

[Siemens Trains]

GWR have started to use “leave the train” and I have to say that my reaction is “what’s wrong with the single word ‘alight’”? Not everything has to be reduced to the lowest common denominator - if you don’t know what a word means - find out!

I suppose having passengers alighting could be mistaken for catching fire.
Perhaps disembark would be clearer. Or I've heard debark used in the context of troop ships, which is a bit shorter.
But alighting tends to be commonly used on trains and buses in my experience.

 

[GordonT]

I suppose having passengers alighting could be mistaken for catching fire.
Perhaps disembark would be clearer. Or I've heard debark used in the context of troop ships, which is a bit shorter.
But alighting tends to be commonly used on trains and buses in my experience.

A close cousin of "alight" and one which seems to have thankfully fallen from favour is "uplift" as in "This service stops here to uplift only. Passengers may not alight at this station."

 

[Peakrider]

The word service. "The service is now arriving at...." "Please mind the gap when leaving the service" "the service now arriving at platform...". etc etc. I always thought it was the train providing the service. I'm not to sure how you can step from a service on to a platform.

Yes that one drives me mad! It's not even grammatically correct. Why can't they just call a train a train.

 

[KT550]

Another phrase which annoys me (the railways aren't alone in using it though) is preceding things with "your",
as in "this is your 11:32 service to Anyville".

It's not!
It's the (insert TOC name) service which they allow us to travel on. It is not ours.

 

[GordonT]

I wonder if the trend towards starting verbal utterances with the word "So" has been encountered on rail announcements yet?

 

[Pigeon]

I suppose having passengers alighting could be mistaken for catching fire.
Perhaps disembark would be clearer. Or I've heard debark used in the context of troop ships, which is a bit shorter.
But alighting tends to be commonly used on trains and buses in my experience.

There's always plain ordinary get off.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I wonder if the trend towards starting verbal utterances with the word "So" has been encountered on rail announcements yet?

Only at Solihull, Sole Street and Soham

 

[davetheguard]

I suppose having passengers alighting could be mistaken for catching fire.
Perhaps disembark would be clearer. Or I've heard debark

Surely detrain would be more appropriate?

 

[Statto]

“Operational incident”.

This & "police incident" as well, leads to all sorts of uninformed speculation.

 

[mrcheek]

"alight" is appropriate, since I am usually "delighted" when I am on a train....

 

[island]

London Undergrounds's current fad for "severe delays on the <whatever> line due to train cancellations".