Will the TOC part of station announcements disappear under GBR?

[thenorthern]

I know this is minor but when GBR fully takes over the railway network will the TOC part of the announcements disappear?

As I am sure you are aware a station announcement normally says "platform X for the XXXX [TOC NAME] service to.......". Given that GBR will be the main operator I was wondering how it will work especially given that open access operators will still exist. Currently stations with a single TOC serving them where all trains go to the same destinations(s) the announcements still mention the train operator.

I assume that we will move to a similar system to what is used in Northern Ireland where announcements use the same voice as those in Great Britain but don't mention the operator.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I would hope that they simplify announcements in general... they really are far too long and intrusive - as many have pointed out on various threads previously, this is counterproductive as it means people simply don't pay attention and miss the important things.

Last month I was in Paris for a few days with my wife, who is partly sighted so somewhat more dependent on announcements than most of us, and she found the much lower level of announcements over there far more helpful than what we have in the UK. Particularly on the Metro, where the majority of the time the only announcements are the station name, stated once on approach to a station and once immediately before the train actually stops. No waffle. Just the station name, stated clearly.



Now imagine if the DfT got hold of the Trans-Siberian railway...

Quick search: "The Trans-Siberian Railway ... has approximately 876 stations for passenger trains". This could take a while.

"Welcome aboard the 14.32 for Vladivostock; this train will be calling at..................."

 

[Zomboid]

I think it'll depend on how tickets are sold and how train service delivery is split up. If there is such a thing as "Intercity" and "Regional Express" or whatever and you can get "Regional Express only" tickets then it's going to have to be announced.

 

[Buzby]

Don’t see how it can be dropped -especially if there are non-GBR services running like Lumo, TfW and ScotRail. Imagine the furore created if we got back to travelling fully ticketed between two stations only to find a penalty imposed because you were on the ‘wrong’ train!

 

[stadler]

I know this is minor but when GBR fully takes over the railway network will the TOC part of the announcements disappear?

As I am sure you are aware a station announcement normally says "platform X for the XXXX [TOC NAME] service to.......". Given that GBR will be the main operator I was wondering how it will work especially given that open access operators will still exist. Currently stations with a single TOC serving them where all trains go to the same destinations(s) the announcements still mention the train operator.

I assume that we will move to a similar system to what is used in Northern Ireland where announcements use the same voice as those in Great Britain but don't mention the operator.

Unless it very recently changed the announcements in Northern Ireland do mention the operator. Last time i was there the station announcements (Anne Jermy) were saying "Northern Ireland Railways" for all trains and the onboard announcements (Kathy Clugston) were saying "Translink N I Railways" for all services. So even there they mention the operator.

 

[Sorcerer]

I expect TOC-specific announcements to be dropped under GBR. I remember taking a Virgin service two days before Avanti and they dropped the "Virgin Trains" part of the announcement so it just said something such as "xx:30 service to Glasgow Central". I would hope though that the TOC part will be replaced with service designations. For example:

"Platform 13 for the xx:30 InterCity service to: Glasgow Central" or "Platform 4 for the xx:45 Regional service service to: Wigan North Western".

With Open Access Operators, the announcements should still refer them by name since they only really operate one kind of service anyway, and it's a good way of avoiding confusion from passengers travelling on the intercity services between GBR and Hull Trains, Lumo or Grand Central. It's simple yet clear enough for a passenger-first approach GBR should aspire to.

 

[318266]

I recall that it was only about a decade or so ago that ScotRail stations started mentioning the TOC of the service:

 

[Bletchleyite]

They already have been removed in some locations where it wouldn't cause ambiguity. I can't remember specifically where, though.

 

[WAB]

They already have been removed in some locations where it wouldn't cause ambiguity. I can't remember specifically where, though.

Waterloo and Marylebone, along with St Pancras International/Southeastern, for starters.

 

[Russel]

They already have been removed in some locations where it wouldn't cause ambiguity. I can't remember specifically where, though.

I picked up on this at Waterloo a few weeks back, after 30 years of hearing TOC names in announcements, it actually felt like something was missing!

 

[The exile]

Of for something as simple as. “Platform 9 3/4 for the next RE12 to Trumpton [now, there’s a mixed metaphor!]. Scheduled departure time 13.30. This train is currently on time”

 

[tfw756rider]

Don’t see how it can be dropped -especially if there are non-GBR services running like Lumo, TfW and ScotRail. Imagine the furore created if we got back to travelling fully ticketed between two stations only to find a penalty imposed because you were on the ‘wrong’ train!

Couldn't it be set up so that announcements for Great British Railways (GBR) didn't include the operator name, but announcements for other operators did include the operator name?

I remember watching a 2003 Cardiff Central video (one of the ones from the part of that year with the ATOS Worldline Eryl/Ruth system just installed).

I remember hearing, in the English Ruth part, Wales & Borders Trains services being announced without the operator name, e.g. "...the xx:xx service to Manchester Piccadilly", but other operator's services being announced with the operator name, e.g. "...Central Trains service to Nottingham".

 

[BanburyBlue]

I was on a Southern service the other day from Southampton to Swanwick, and the on-train announcements had had the Southern bit removed. Just said "this is the (slight pause) service to Brighton"

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

It's a bit of a headscratcher and I don't think there's a simple answer.

Here in Wales the announcements are very long as both languages are used, rightly in my view.

It's a bit weird to use TfW/Trafnidiaeth Cymru on lines where they're the only operator. On the other hand, if bus/train integration ever happens it might be a way of signalling a through(ish) service to a destination not served by rail alone.

 

[Frontera2]

Waterloo and Marylebone, along with St Pancras International/Southeastern, for starters.

It was removed on SE years ago for the simple reason that at single TOC stations, it is superfluous. It does remain at those stations where other operators call though eg Rochester and Ashford to name but two.