So many announcements, so few people taking them on board

[aftv]

One thats starting to very slowly get on my nerves is Southern coming out of Victoria on my way home. Before weve even reached Clapham Jn weve heard more from the OBS about the calling pattern, anything suspisious and minding the gap at Clapham Jn. Breif interlude for silence before Digital Doris kicks in to repeat what weve just heard from the OBS only for her to then be interupted again for the OBS to repeat a shortend down version of what they've just said between Victoria and Clapham Jn. All that on top of screaming children giving me a headache in coach 1 of 12 despite the fact their sat in First Class and we can hear them through the glass partition (but thats another problem all together.)

 

[I_am_Nobody]

What really annoys me as well is Senior Conductors & Train Managers doing announcements after the automated announcer has already told us the same thing. It just adds to noise pollution.

It’s really frustrating that sometimes the company asks us to do this. If we are being assessed or observed, either covertly or directly, we can get in trouble if we aren’t making the announcements that the TOC and/or DfT demand that we do. Saying “but Digital Doris literally just said that” is apparently not a reason to not do so… sigh!

The three Ss announcements need to disappear and never darken our speakers again. They’ve outlived their incredibly short welcome, and definitely outlived their woefully short period of usefulness.

 

[Discuss223]

It’s really frustrating that sometimes the company asks us to do this. If we are being assessed or observed, either covertly or directly, we can get in trouble if we aren’t making the announcements that the TOC and/or DfT demand that we do. Saying “but Digital Doris literally just said that” is apparently not a reason to not do so… sigh!

The three Ss announcements need to disappear and never darken our speakers again. They’ve outlived their incredibly short welcome, and definitely outlived their woefully short period of usefulness.

Thank you for your honest post. It seems crazy that Dft/TOC/the stringpullers would push for auto-announcements only to penalise staff for not duplicating them. It's rather bizzare. I can completely understand SCs/TMs/Guards making announcements if something out of the ordinary happens though such as disruption or declassification of accommodation. I really don't see though how duplicating announcements would benefit the customer, the employee or the company (time spent announcing is time that could be spent conducting revenue checks).

 

[Harpo]

Nearly three years since Shapps announced that DfT was cutting down train tannoy spam.

Another pointless announcement.

 

[BayPaul]

Some announcements make things less safe. On GWR trains there's an announcement about not using the doors when they are closing, that is made immediately after they open at a station. This means that the useful information about where the train is actually going is delayed, often to the point that the doors are starting to close. That announcement makes it more likely that a person will be in the doors when they start to close! It's timing is such that anyone who can hear it doesn't need it (as they are already in position to use the doors correctly) so there is zero benefit, a significant safety and customer service downgrade, and even more annoying waffle.

 

[The exile]

Yes, people do zone out announcements

The worst one is "Thank you for travelling with......." on a commuter service. As if we had a choice.

An automated announcement apologising or thanking is a pointless and patronising waste of time. Such statements are only meaningful from the individual directly concerned and become completely devalued when automatic.
The one that really irritates me is the one about not using phones and holding the handrail on stairs. The actions themselves are of course very sensible but being lectured at by a tannoy child makes me want to stop, get out my phone and shout “Look, no hands!!”

 

[davews]

'Mind the gap' is absolutely necessary at Clapham Junction! Having experienced getting off the rear coach at platform 10 when I needed help to bridge the huge gap, blimey I thought.

 

[Pompey00]

An automated announcement apologising or thanking is a pointless and patronising waste of time. Such statements are only meaningful from the individual directly concerned and become completely devalued when automatic.
The one that really irritates me is the one about not using phones and holding the handrail on stairs. The actions themselves are of course very sensible but being lectured at by a tannoy child makes me want to stop, get out my phone and shout “Look, no hands!!”

But then if anything was to happen it would be down to you for not paying attention, so announcements are necessary

 

[Hadlow Road]

If you have to be told to use a handrail, should you be using stairs?

 

[chrisjo]

I could swear that the person that recorded '....when you step down from the train' for TFW was channeling Tom Jones on The Green Green Grass of Home. Every time I hear it I sing it under my breath, but occasionally out loud, oops.

 

[Wolfie]

Yes, there are far too many announcements and therefore people don't pay attention.

However, the people who make these decisions probably lack the sort of real-world experience people like us have.

Not only on trains though. I was on a bus yesterday in London. A "bing bong" announcement played several times stating that the next bus stop was closed. A similar announcement on screen....

..... and still there were folk saying "Why hasn't it stopped? Where is it going?"

 

[Turtle]

'Mind the gap' is absolutely necessary at Clapham Junction! Having experienced getting off the rear coach at platform 10 when I needed help to bridge the huge gap, blimey I thought.

I'm with you there. That's one announcement that's definitely needed.

 

[island]

Hearing CSOs screaming their lungs out at people to "get back" as they dispatch trains, perhaps there ought to be safety announcements reminding customers to stand behind the yellow line instead of the drivel we get about texting the BTP.

There are at stations I frequent. But they get filtered out.

 

[Mat17]

Not only on trains though. I was on a bus yesterday in London. A "bing bong" announcement played several times stating that the next bus stop was closed. A similar announcement on screen....

..... and still there were folk saying "Why hasn't it stopped? Where is it going?"

Proving that too much ear spam makes people simply tune out. A bet a fair amount of travellers don't listen to any announcements.

 

[43096]

Proving that too much ear spam makes people simply tune out. A bet a fair amount of travellers don't listen to any announcements.

I like that phrase “ear spam”! Not seen (or, indeed, heard) it before.

 

[Mat17]

I like that phrase “ear spam”! Not seen (or, indeed, heard) it before.

It just popped into my head as I was typing it. Can't say I've heard it before either!

 

[Bikeman78]

It’s really frustrating that sometimes the company asks us to do this. If we are being assessed or observed, either covertly or directly, we can get in trouble if we aren’t making the announcements that the TOC and/or DfT demand that we do. Saying “but Digital Doris literally just said that” is apparently not a reason to not do so… sigh!

The three Ss announcements need to disappear and never darken our speakers again. They’ve outlived their incredibly short welcome, and definitely outlived their woefully short period of usefulness.

I would argue that if a train is fitted with automatic announcements, human announcements are only required if something unplanned is happening, e.g delays, stops being taken out, train terminating short. People would be more likely to take notice than if the person has been repeating the auto announcer for the past hour.

 

[dcbwhaley]

Was at Frodsham station this afternoon and my train to Manchester was delayed. The announcement for this delay (13 minutes) was played every 60 seconds from 3 minutes before the train's schedule arrival until it actually arrived. This was despite the length of the delay never changing. Surely, the minimum interval between such announcements should be 5 minutes

There is another side to this. I almost missed my train at Stockport station because the platform change was announced only once. And that at a time when a heavy freight train was panting and rattling through the station drowning out all announcements

 

[Wolfie]

I would argue that if a train is fitted with automatic announcements, human announcements are only required if something unplanned is happening, e.g delays, stops being taken out, train terminating short. People would be more likely to take notice than if the person has been repeating the auto announcer for the past hour.

It's even worse if the manual and automated announcements are contradictory.

 

[High Dyke]

It's even worse if the manual and automated announcements are contradictory.

Funnily enough. Last week whilst returning from Nottingham, the service arrived (Liverpool - Norwich). The auto announcer decides the train is already at Grantham and "the next station is Peterborough." That caused a bit of mirth. Once the two units had been split and as the dispatch procedure was taking place 'Digital Doris' suddenly blurts out "this is train to Liverpool Lime Street, calling at..." That caused a bit of consternation amongst some, as the driver took power and departed. A passenger next to me looked concerned and enquired if it was actually the train to Norwich. I assured her it was. A few moments later the guard made a clear announcement confirming it was the train to Norwich.

 

[urbophile]

No one listens to them anyway. Like a bad smell, you soon stop noticing.

Yes. Many times I have been listening out for an announcement because of delay or something, the crucial words were drowned out by loud conversations of people, who possibly also needed to hear it. But because 80% of what they hear is unnecessary repetition, they tune out.

 

[DC1989]

Get rid of every single automated announcement. Especially the ones that hector and nanny - 'carry a water bottle' 'take care when using the stairs' 'Do not run' 'carry your dog'

 

[uglymonkey]

On Thameslink the displays or announcements can get stuck in reverse order. "The next station is Hitchin" when you are pulling into Finsbury Park. Whether it is an fault or the driver has forgotten to push the "reset return journey" button at one end of the line or not I do not know. Must be very confusing for those heading for Gatwick. Although it is a blessing that the sound announcement matches the display - even if wrong !!

 

[Pompey00]

Get rid of every single automated announcement. Especially the ones that hector and nanny - 'carry a water bottle' 'take care when using the stairs' 'Do not run' 'carry your dog'

All for the safety of the public using public transport

 

[I_am_Nobody]

Get rid of every single automated announcement. Especially the ones that hector and nanny - 'carry a water bottle' 'take care when using the stairs' 'Do not run' 'carry your dog'

Some are required for PRM compliance, specifically to aid those who are visually impaired. You’re never going to travel on a service where these are intentionally disabled, I’m afraid.

I do agree though, I’m really not sure why we need the Three Ss, revenue warnings and CCTV/BWC messages shouted every 0.4 of a femtosecond though, they just get in the way!

 

[KnobbyGB]

I no longer live in the UK but spend a couple of weeks every year travelling around on the railway. I think I notice the increase in announcements more because of the gaps between my visits, as opposed to a gradual, daily acclimatisation. They have DEFINITELY increased A LOT in the last 12 months!

I realise it's "nanny-state-ism" and it probably isn't going to go away any time soon and there's a whole well-known argument about that making people LESS safe in the long run. I think it's too late now and probably something we can't just remove in one go.

The thing is, I just spent a week travelling around the UK followed by a week crossing Europe (Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy) and the difference is startling. It just doesn't happen there! The RELIEF after leaving the UK and finally being able to relax on a train...

There were mostly just a standard announcement before departure listing the route and then a "this is xxx, next station is yyy" at each stop. If all these countries can manage to be less far down the nanny-state rabbit hole than the UK then it obviously points to a much bigger problem there (Britain). I noticed the fewest announcement in Switzerland - known for being so well organised. How do they EVER run their railway so efficiently and punctually when the pax. aren't constantly berated about not blocking doors or falling over their own shoelaces? It makes you think...

EDIT: Oh and the worst services I found for announcements were the Birmingham cross city lines! There are 24 stops on Redditch to Lichfield Trent Valley (I can now reel them off in my sleep) and they're two or three minutes apart. The entire route is read out between each stop and rarely has chance to finish before being stepped-on by various safety announcements (which also interrupt each other and rarely finish before "we are now arrivng at..."). It literally was constant announcements with maybe a 10 second gap while the doors were actually open. Those 730s have big, clear screens with all the route information required and red and yellow "safety" stickers everywhere. I realise visually impaired people might need more announcements, but how about some kind of induction-loop, online system or special seats with a button and a speaker to allow only those who choose to do so to hear the announcements?

 

[signed]

At Heathrow Central, they love to mouth every annoucement 3 or 4 times per train, especially Heathrow express.

Problem is, whatever mic is used is horribly muffled and, unless you can understand deep accents on top of a bad mic (which most tourists won't), you won't understand a thing.

While the Elizabeth Line service annoucment is perfectly clear and done once

 

[Sad Sprinter]

One thats starting to very slowly get on my nerves is Southern coming out of Victoria on my way home. Before weve even reached Clapham Jn weve heard more from the OBS about the calling pattern, anything suspisious and minding the gap at Clapham Jn. Breif interlude for silence before Digital Doris kicks in to repeat what weve just heard from the OBS only for her to then be interupted again for the OBS to repeat a shortend down version of what they've just said between Victoria and Clapham Jn. All that on top of screaming children giving me a headache in coach 1 of 12 despite the fact their sat in First Class and we can hear them through the glass partition (but thats another problem all together.)

Yes and if it's not children, it's someone listening to their TikTok's without earphones. Someone having a loud video call, or a corporate drone talking about their most recent KPIs.

 

[ainsworth74]

Especially the ones that hector and nanny - 'carry a water bottle' 'take care when using the stairs' 'Do not run' 'carry your dog'

Well yes but then the "mitigation" that the announcements provide on the risk assessment to "control" the risk of those hazards will be lost meaning that the risk of any accident will increase.

Barmy? Yes. But that's basically how it works. So much of stuff like this is just implementing "control" measures on a risk assessment. The fact that these control measures actually do the square root of ruddy nothing is by the by (and indeed might increase the risk due to actual important messages being drowned out), the main thing is that if anyone does then fall down the stairs the railway (or any other company for that matter, this sort of thing is all over the place) can then wave their risk assessment in court if anyone sues them.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

And get rid of the three Ss.

I think we're all agreed on that! Unfortunately Labour governments tend to be even more obsessed with health and safety nonsense than Conservative ones so I can't see SeeItSayItSortIt going anywhere time soon.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Dec 2024 ==

Hearing CSOs screaming their lungs out at people to "get back" as they dispatch trains, perhaps there ought to be safety announcements reminding customers to stand behind the yellow line instead of the drivel we get about texting the BTP.

Perhaps there should be occasional announcements aimed at station staff reminding then to treat rail passengers with civility and respect instead of screaming at them as if they were naughty children?