Avanti take needless announcements to a new level

[Sad Sprinter]

If all these announcements are important (sarcastic emoji) then they need to make everyone wearing earphones and headphones take them off! On a train I often wear them simply listening to white noise or the sound of crashing waves to avoid having to listen repeatedly to - everything.

It's the same process for shops playing "musak" - I note some shops now play adverts alongside their musak.

I bet my last tooth that at some point trains will be blasting vocal adverts at us soon.

I would switch to cars. That would be the last straw. HM Treasury and the DfT are trashing our railways

 

[FrontSideBus]

Ryanair does as much already. Always calling over the PA how they have special scratch cards or some other nonsense on sale!

 

[Howardh]

Ryanair does as much already. Always calling over the PA how they have special scratch cards or some other nonsense on sale!

Oh, easyjet...my flight from Jersey was a superb take off, we flew low around the island anti-clockwise to provide stunning aerial shots, and I managed to video the whole thing.

Ruined, entirely, by what must have been three mins of tannoy announcements about firstly keeping your belt on, then onboard sales, duty free, what was on sale etc etc. All that captured on camera video grrr... at least we were saved the "Say It...."

On the "general discussion" thread I've posted that Morrison's have extended their "quiet" hours, thankfully - if shops are beginning to realise that noise is overkill, why not the railways??

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Mar 2026 ==

Ryanair does as much already. Always calling over the PA how they have special scratch cards or some other nonsense on sale!

At least Ryanair's music is quiet and relaxing, better to have none at all like easyjet, but on the other scale is Jet2's dreadfully irritating Jess Glynn "song" - if anything puts you off flying then that's it.

 

[WillC]

I would switch to cars. That would be the last straw. HM Treasury and the DfT are trashing our railways

Agree. The end. We're already seeing irritating digital advertising boards cycling away in carriages, if this crap starts coming out over the already over-used and technically often problematic (too loud, too quiet, loud buzzing/beeps etc) tannoy them I'm done with the whole sorry mess.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Agree. The end. We're already seeing irritating digital advertising boards cycling away in carriages, if this crap starts coming out over the already over-used and technically often problematic (too loud, too quiet, loud buzzing/beeps etc) tannoy them I'm done with the whole sorry mess.

Is it that much better in cars with the number of adverts you see as you go along the motorway, down any road etc.

If you find the announcements too invasive you can always just listen on headphones, this also has the benefit of blocking out any noisy neighbours

 

[ian1944]

May have been mentioned but I've not read the whole thread. I wake, have my brek and go to sleep to supposedly ad-free BBC Radio 3, and am totally exasperated by the frequent self-promoting puffery and by the idiotic presenters who say "in a moment" in reference to something that will happen in at least a minute. And am I the only one who mentally renames Soweto Kinch and Tom McKinney?

 

[btdrawer]

Is it that much better in cars with the number of adverts you see as you go along the motorway, down any road etc.

If you find the announcements too invasive you can always just listen on headphones, this also has the benefit of blocking out any noisy neighbours

Ads presented over a tannoy that you can't switch off are a lot more annoying than posters or billboards, because they can't be ignored. You can put headphones in, but you shouldn't have to do that

 

[Baxenden Bank]

May have been mentioned but I've not read the whole thread. I wake, have my brek and go to sleep to supposedly ad-free BBC Radio 3, and am totally exasperated by the frequent self-promoting puffery and by the idiotic presenters who say "in a moment" in reference to something that will happen in at least a minute. And am I the only one who mentally renames Soweto Kinch and Tom McKinney?

I find Radio 3 generally unbearable now. Too much prattle and audience interaction. If you walk your dog and meet the King, it's worth mentioning on air. If you walk the dog and come home, as millions do every morning, it isn't worth mentioning on air. Now we have the morning stretch with McKinney on Mondays and the Playlist Challenge Monday to Friday. Getting listeners to write the content saves having to pay someone to devise any proper content between tracks.

To be fair I'm not sure whether to blame the presenters, the producers or someone else. Who writes the scripts or decides the style and content of the shows?

Plus of course all the references to BBC Sounds, Smart Speakers, links to other shows etc.

One day they may just play a track/piece which is worth playing in its own right rather than because it has a link to something else in the schedule.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Ads presented over a tannoy that you can't switch off are a lot more annoying than posters or billboards, because they can't be ignored. You can put headphones in, but you shouldn't have to do that

Exactly you shouldn't have to do that. I agree it works, but its a sorry state of affairs when a pair of headphones is now mandatory for going on a train.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Ads presented over a tannoy that you can't switch off are a lot more annoying than posters or billboards, because they can't be ignored. You can put headphones in, but you shouldn't have to do that

Maybe it's just the trains I go on, but I don't think I've ever heard any actual adverts over the tannoys - merely telling me the buffet is open which I don't think I'd really class as an advert.

 

[Bikeman78]

Is it that much better in cars with the number of adverts you see as you go along the motorway, down any road etc.

If you find the announcements too invasive you can always just listen on headphones, this also has the benefit of blocking out any noisy neighbours

The M4 doesn't have many electronic signs and I pass them within a few seconds. On some trains, I have to pick my seat carefully to avoid the screens which switch from bright to dark every few seconds. There are some very bright screens in residential areas. I cycle past one which had a bright white advert for a while. I thought I was being chased by a car when it lit up behind me. It's been switched off for a while. I suspect there have been complaints.

 

[Deepgreen]

The whole annoucements issue continues to spiral. "Customers are reminded to breathe" can't be far off now...

 

[andy33gmail]

Exactly you shouldn't have to do that. I agree it works, but its a sorry state of affairs when a pair of headphones is now mandatory for going on a train.

At which point you could use the tannoy for emergency announcements only, and have an airline style system for the optional extra content, which no-one would pressure them to maintain

 

[JamieL]

I wonder if 'mind the gap' announcements have any impact whatsoever? It would be interesting to stop the announcements and see if there is a notable uptick in people falling down the gap. My gut feeling is that someone prone to fall down the gap is likely to do so whether they have been told to mind it or not.

 

[jfollows]

I wonder if 'mind the gap' announcements have any impact whatsoever? It would be interesting to stop the announcements and see if there is a notable uptick in people falling down the gap. My gut feeling is that someone prone to fall down the gap is likely to do so whether they have been told to mind it or not.

The “mind the gap” thing used to be sensible, Northern Line at Embankment for example, southbound I think, significant curve so a significant gap. It was unusual and the announcement made people take extra care. Certainly I did.
Now they’re stupid. Northern (trains) does it also for perfectly straight platforms. If there weren’t a gap, the train would hit the platform. Just more noise that more and more people ignore or drown out with headphones.

 

[Trainman40083]

But passengers don't see the gap..They are so engrossed with their mobile.

 

[Sealink]

If all these announcements are important (sarcastic emoji) then they need to make everyone wearing earphones and headphones take them off! On a train I often wear them simply listening to white noise or the sound of crashing waves to avoid having to listen repeatedly to - everything.

It's the same process for shops playing "musak" - I note some shops now play adverts alongside their musak.

I bet my last tooth that at some point trains will be blasting vocal adverts at us soon.

Didn't one of the TOCs install television screens on trains, with adverts, with sound? Oh have I imagined that.
Might have been Southern. Although I found this reference to First Capital Connect

Televisions to be installed on FCC trains

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?

www.railforums.co.uk

Televisions to be installed on FCC trains​

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Didn't one of the TOCs install television screens on trains, with adverts, with sound? Oh have I imagined that.
Might have been Southern. Although I found this reference to First Capital Connect

Central Trains certainly did on the Class 323 for the Birmingham Cross City line. They played a (short) rolling loop of news and ads and were unbearable.

It may have happened elsewhere too.

 

[TUC]

I wonder if 'mind the gap' announcements have any impact whatsoever? It would be interesting to stop the announcements and see if there is a notable uptick in people falling down the gap. My gut feeling is that someone prone to fall down the gap is likely to do so whether they have been told to mind it or not.

If you’re visually impaired they are very useful, provided that they are targeted at platforms and train where there is genuinely likely to be a gap. Just announcing it for every platform and train regardless is no help whatsoever.

 

[styles]

If you’re visually impaired they are very useful, provided that they are targeted at platforms and train where there is genuinely likely to be a gap. Just announcing it for every platform and train regardless is no help whatsoever.

Don't necessarily disagree, though doesn't every Avanti stop have a gap, a step down, or both?

 

[Trainman40083]

Central Trains certainly did on the Class 323 for the Birmingham Cross City line. They played a (short) rolling loop of news and ads and were unbearable.

It may have happened elsewhere too.

It was bad enough on some Arriva buses. You could not escape it.

 

[DelW]

The “mind the gap” thing used to be sensible, Northern Line at Embankment for example, southbound I think, significant curve so a significant gap. It was unusual and the announcement made people take extra care. Certainly I did.

Entirely pedantic here, but it's northbound. That platform is a remnant of the original terminal loop, while the southbound is a newer alignment cut across it.

Now back to the original subject of announcements ...

 

[trainophile]

Yet the announcements you could really do with don't (sometimes) happen, e.g. seat reservations not working - what people should do. (Apols if covered upthread, have skipped a few pages,)

 

[TUC]

Don't necessarily disagree, though doesn't every Avanti stop have a gap, a step down, or both?

I was meaning more generally, not just Avanti.

 

[WillC]

Is it that much better in cars with the number of adverts you see as you go along the motorway, down any road etc.

If you find the announcements too invasive you can always just listen on headphones, this also has the benefit of blocking out any noisy neighbours

Totally. A moving bright display right in front of your face, advertising any old ****e, on board which might just display something of importance (like a delay etc), and which is on a journey which you have directly paid for, is unacceptable - it's just yet more fleecing/squeezing money out of us. As far as headphones go, if I am forced to use headphones to survive a train journey then the system has failed totally.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Totally. A moving bright display right in front of your face, advertising any old ****e, on board which might just display something of importance (like a delay etc), and which is on a journey which you have directly paid for, is unacceptable - it's just yet more fleecing/squeezing money out of us. As far as headphones go, if I am forced to use headphones to survive a train journey then the system has failed totally.

It feels a little exaggerated to say headphones are needed to “survive” a train journey, again I've not yet heard any adverts over the tannoy on a train. Lots of announcements, sure, which can be irritating, especially when they are frequent or repetitive. But for many people they can be essential.

We all joke about “See it. Say it. Sorted.”, but how many of us would know the British Transport Police contact details if they had not been repeated so often? Likewise, how many children learn to “mind the gap” because they hear it regularly? These messages may sound obvious or overplayed to some, but repetition is often what makes them stick.

For passengers with autism, visual impairments, extreme anxiety, or other access needs, announcements can provide reassurance that they are on the right train, heading in the right direction, and aware of where they are. For a blind passenger walking through a crowded train to find the buffet, an announcement saying it is closed could save a frustrating and unnecessary journey through the carriages. Ticket validity announcements may also prevent people from accidentally travelling on the wrong service and ending up with a penalty fare.

I recently made a video about next-stop announcements on buses, and several people contacted me afterwards to say that the introduction of those announcements had allowed them to travel independently. For some, that meant being able to ride without a support worker and therefore they could regain a sense of freedom.

Most people can still "survive" a train journey with announcements, even if they find them annoying. After all, trains also have conversations, shouting, crying children, and plenty of other unavoidable noise. You just might find it more to your taste to put on your headphones, then you wouldn't need to get so angry about the announcements.

 

[WillC]

It feels a little exaggerated to say headphones are needed to “survive” a train journey, again I've not yet heard any adverts over the tannoy on a train. Lots of announcements, sure, which can be irritating, especially when they are frequent or repetitive. But for many people they can be essential.

We all joke about “See it. Say it. Sorted.”, but how many of us would know the British Transport Police contact details if they had not been repeated so often? Likewise, how many children learn to “mind the gap” because they hear it regularly? These messages may sound obvious or overplayed to some, but repetition is often what makes them stick.

For passengers with autism, visual impairments, extreme anxiety, or other access needs, announcements can provide reassurance that they are on the right train, heading in the right direction, and aware of where they are. For a blind passenger walking through a crowded train to find the buffet, an announcement saying it is closed could save a frustrating and unnecessary journey through the carriages. Ticket validity announcements may also prevent people from accidentally travelling on the wrong service and ending up with a penalty fare.

I recently made a video about next-stop announcements on buses, and several people contacted me afterwards to say that the introduction of those announcements had allowed them to travel independently. For some, that meant being able to ride without a support worker and therefore they could regain a sense of freedom.

Most people can still "survive" a train journey with announcements, even if they find them annoying. After all, trains also have conversations, shouting, crying children, and plenty of other unavoidable noise. You just might find it more to your taste to put on your headphones, then you wouldn't need to get so angry about the announcements.

It feels a little exaggerated to say headphones are needed to “survive” a train journey, again I've not yet heard any adverts over the tannoy on a train. Lots of announcements, sure, which can be irritating, especially when they are frequent or repetitive. But for many people they can be essential.

We all joke about “See it. Say it. Sorted.”, but how many of us would know the British Transport Police contact details if they had not been repeated so often? Likewise, how many children learn to “mind the gap” because they hear it regularly? These messages may sound obvious or overplayed to some, but repetition is often what makes them stick.

For passengers with autism, visual impairments, extreme anxiety, or other access needs, announcements can provide reassurance that they are on the right train, heading in the right direction, and aware of where they are. For a blind passenger walking through a crowded train to find the buffet, an announcement saying it is closed could save a frustrating and unnecessary journey through the carriages. Ticket validity announcements may also prevent people from accidentally travelling on the wrong service and ending up with a penalty fare.

I recently made a video about next-stop announcements on buses, and several people contacted me afterwards to say that the introduction of those announcements had allowed them to travel independently. For some, that meant being able to ride without a support worker and therefore they could regain a sense of freedom.

Most people can still "survive" a train journey with announcements, even if they find them annoying. After all, trains also have conversations, shouting, crying children, and plenty of other unavoidable noise. You just might find it more to your taste to put on your headphones, then you wouldn't need to get so angry about the announcements

OK, so obviously some announcements are fine, and in fact your mention of the 'next stop' audio on buses is great, but the wider point is that the total excess of mundane messaging actual defeats the object, because people switch off, literally by using noise cancelling headphones. Graphic design understands the importance of white space for this very reason and railways should take note. I think it most likely boils down to indemnifying those with responsibility, rather than actually trying to get across information. I don't buy the autism defence either, because I can well imagine some people find the intense barrage of noise and signs to be completely overwhelming. And I absolutely refute the penalty fare issue - the failure here is simply the unnecessary and ridiculous range of fares available which suit those extracting money from passengers and nothing else. Children cannot help crying, quiet conversations often create a pleasant background hum to a journey; shouting is unnecessary, playing music or having a two-way phone conversation on speakers should invoke a fine or removal (I am only partly jesting - I detest this selfish behaviour) - the noise and visual pollution that *is* under the control of the operator should be minimised, IMHO. "This is Leeds. The next stop is Wakefield Westgate." The end.

 

[BuhSnarf]

OK, so obviously some announcements are fine, and in fact your mention of the 'next stop' audio on buses is great, but the wider point is that the total excess of mundane messaging actual defeats the object, because people switch off, literally by using noise cancelling headphones. Graphic design understands the importance of white space for this very reason and railways should take note. I think it most likely boils down to indemnifying those with responsibility, rather than actually trying to get across information. I don't buy the autism defence either, because I can well imagine some people find the intense barrage of noise and signs to be completely overwhelming. And I absolutely refute the penalty fare issue - the failure here is simply the unnecessary and ridiculous range of fares available which suit those extracting money from passengers and nothing else. Children cannot help crying, quiet conversations often create a pleasant background hum to a journey; shouting is unnecessary, playing music or having a two-way phone conversation on speakers should invoke a fine or removal (I am only partly jesting - I detest this selfish behaviour) - the noise and visual pollution that *is* under the control of the operator should be minimised, IMHO. "This is Leeds. The next stop is Wakefield Westgate." The end.

I'll be sure to let my autistic friend know that they are indeed wrong and they don't like the comfort of the repetitive audio announcements.

Not all autistic people are the same. As for the fares issue, I completely agree - but until the system is fixed it is confusing for regular folks and so sometimes a warning about it helps to reassure / warn. They even make them as manual announcements which would imply that conductors on certain services clearly regularly get people boarding the wrong train in error.

 

[sheff1]

They even make them as manual announcements which would imply that conductors on certain services clearly regularly get people boarding the wrong train in error.

Manual announcements which are often incorrect. "Off Peak tickets are not valid on this train" when many Off Peak tickets are 100% valid and so on.

 

[KnobbyGB]

Exactly you shouldn't have to do that. I agree it works, but its a sorry state of affairs when a pair of headphones is now mandatory for going on a train.

But of course, they've been "mandatory" for some time now due to the selfish idiots who insist on playing games and inane YouTube shorts at full volume between making hour long calls on speakerphone.