Avanti take needless announcements to a new level

[CHAPS2034]

Nah the real life hack is not to lock the toilet doors. Then you can be revealed like the star prize on an episode of Bullseye.

Priceless!

 

[pr1]

Nah the real life hack is not to lock the toilet doors. Then you can be revealed like the star prize on an episode of Bullseye.

I almost spat my tea everywhere reading this

 

[speedy1]

Transpennine are taking the absolute p*** currently. Have they found this thread or something and getting a kick out of annoying us lol?

"Good news folks we've arrived on time. Don't worry, I won't do the ryanair fanfare"

One train sat at a platform, within 5 minutes:

"This service will be departing in 7 minutes time"

"Keep hold of your tickets as you'll need them for the duration of this journey today"

"Tickets and passes at the ready please everyone "

"Any questions at all don't hesitate to stop me "

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Transpennine are taking the absolute p*** currently. Have they found this thread or something and getting a kick out of annoying us lol?

"Good news folks we've arrived on time. Don't worry, I won't do the ryanair fanfare"

One train sat at a platform, within 5 minutes:

"This service will be departing in 7 minutes time"

"Keep hold of your tickets as you'll need them for the duration of this journey today"

"Tickets and passes at the ready please everyone "

"Any questions at all don't hesitate to stop me "

We can start all the threads we like about excessive announcements on here but it's never going to make any difference, is it? I've been out on LNER and Northern trains today and in both cases we had the automated announcement after virtually every station followed by the Train Manager repeating exactly the same announcement more or less word for word.

Just put your headphones on and ignore them is the only sensible thing to do.

 

[BayPaul]

I do sometimes wonder if a moderate level of organised civil disobedience (work to rule style) could be the only way to kill pointless announcements.

If every passenger immediately texted BTP with the nearest defect (the possibility of there not being a defect with train, station or service in sight being trivial) every time the 'see it, say it, sorted' announcement played, they would soon be forced to stop playing it.

If the station emergency call or train passcom was also pressed every time a pointless announcement started 'may I have your attention for a very important announcement' to ask them to repeat the important element as you missed it, the disruption to services would surely mean they would stop.

If all of us put in an incident report every time we trip or slip because we were distracted byan unexpected 'hold the handrails / platforms may be slippery when wet' announcement, surely the risk assessment would need to be reconsidered.

If we pulled the emergency door open button whenever the doors start beeping before the drivel we have to listen to during a call finishes, as we need to hear it to decide whether to board...

I can dream!

And yes, I know it'd would impact hard working front-line workers, and delay other passengers, but the benefit to our ear drums feels worth it!

 

[Tracked]

I do sometimes wonder if a moderate level of organised civil disobedience (work to rule style) could be the only way to kill pointless announcements.

If every passenger immediately texted BTP with the nearest defect (the possibility of there not being a defect with train, station or service in sight being trivial) every time the 'see it, say it, sorted' announcement played, they would soon be forced to stop playing it.

If the station emergency call or train passcom was also pressed every time a pointless announcement started 'may I have your attention for a very important announcement' to ask them to repeat the important element as you missed it, the disruption to services would surely mean they would stop.

If all of us put in an incident report every time we trip or slip because we were distracted byan unexpected 'hold the handrails / platforms may be slippery when wet' announcement, surely the risk assessment would need to be reconsidered.

If we pulled the emergency door open button whenever the doors start beeping before the drivel we have to listen to during a call finishes, as we need to hear it to decide whether to board...

I can dream!

And yes, I know it'd would impact hard working front-line workers, and delay other passengers, but the benefit to our ear drums feels worth it!

They'd probably add something about only using it when important, then give examples of what they mean by that

 

[TUC]

We can start all the threads we like about excessive announcements on here but it's never going to make any difference, is it? I've been out on LNER and Northern trains today and in both cases we had the automated announcement after virtually every station followed by the Train Manager repeating exactly the same announcement more or less word for word.

Just put your headphones on and ignore them is the only sensible thing to do.

i much prefer manual announcements by the on-train staff. The very fact of the changes in intonation each time announcements are made, together with a greater sense of engagement in the voice, make it much more likely people will actually listen, i do wish though that they were able to turn off the automated announcements when they plan to make their own. It's hard to see what value there is in them repeating the same information.

 

[roadie]

Just put your headphones on and ignore them is the only sensible thing to do.

Here in SWR land on the new Class 701 which otherwise like I can max out my ear buds to painful levels and still the incessant announcements get through!

 

[speedy1]

Here in SWR land on the new Class 701 which otherwise like I can max out my ear buds to painful levels and still the incessant announcements get through!

Yup seems the announcement levels are increasing. A**holes, no other word for it. Sorry

I think there could be a serious case to be made about autistic people and disability legislation.

(I sat on a bus for 1.5 hours the other day with stops seemingly every minute and the announcements drove me mad)

 

[Bikeman78]

Yup seems the announcement levels are increasing. A**holes, no other word for it. Sorry

I think there could be a serious case to be made about autistic people and disability legislation.

(I sat on a bus for 1.5 hours the other day with stops seemingly every minute and the announcements drove me mad)

We often talk about having a more inclusive society. I don't feel included. I find it unbearable. My car becomes more and more appealing.

 

[CHESHIRECAT]

At least redline gate 13/14 at Piccadilly has stopped!

 

[Dr Hoo]

At least redline gate 13/14 at Piccadilly has stopped!

Having joined the very train that I am now on at Piccadilly 13/14 I can assure you that signage and live staff announcements about waiting behind the red line are very much in vogue. (Just as well with the platforms being crowded with holiday travellers.)

 

[CHESHIRECAT]

Aha I stand (behind the red line!) corrected... last Tuesday they were nowhere to be heard !

 

[Tester]

An interesting variation just heard in the 'hot drinks in bags' announcement.....

"Please don't shoot the messenger - our insurers insist on this"

 

[speedy1]

An interesting variation just heard in the 'hot drinks in bags' announcement.....

"Please don't shoot the messenger - our insurers insist on this"

Assuming it's true, I would bet £1 that the requirement is very unspecific and some manager has decided in the implementation being an annoying announcement. I'd bet a further £1 that just explaining to the person during the transaction will suffice. I'd bet a further £1 that actually the tannoy announcement alone isn't sufficient and you also have to tell the person during the transaction in some manner

 

[TUC]

Yup seems the announcement levels are increasing. A**holes, no other word for it. Sorry

I think there could be a serious case to be made about autistic people and disability legislation.

(I sat on a bus for 1.5 hours the other day with stops seemingly every minute and the announcements drove me mad)

Stop announcements on buses are very important for visually impaired people. You're surely not suggesting they should take second place in importance and not have them (especially when others are perfectly free to wear ear plugs if they wish)?

 

[speedy1]

Stop announcements on buses are very important for visually impaired people. You're surely not suggesting they should take second place in importance and not have them (especially when others are perfectly free to wear ear plugs if they wish)?

You're not surely suggesting the audible levels are raised to 130dB and announcements tripled to include "approaching stop x" and "departing stop x" and purposefully annoying autistic people to the point of becoming a recluse for those whose only method of transport is bus??

(See how tiring and reductive this style of discourse is? )

I don't know the answer. I was just venting

 

[josh-j]

Stop announcements on buses are very important for visually impaired people. You're surely not suggesting they should take second place in importance and not have them (especially when others are perfectly free to wear ear plugs if they wish)?

I've been on a bus with very verbose repeating announcements every stop and it was really annoying and did not feel necessary. I think there's a difference between useful and not useful announcements. If it just said the location I'd be ok with it and clearly it would be great for visually impaired people. No worries. But the one I was on with repeated nagging about being careful and not standing too early, repeated every stop, i.e. every 30-60 seconds, seems a bit ridiculous and I do think there's an argument for balance there?

 

[TUC]

You're not surely suggesting the audible levels are raised to 130dB and announcements tripled to include "approaching stop x" and "departing stop x" and purposefully annoying autistic people to the point of becoming a recluse for those whose only method of transport is bus??

(See how tiring and reductive this style of discourse is? )

I don't know the answer. I was just venting

I know you were venting, but just to clarify, the announcements do need to be loud enough to be readily heard on a busy bus, full of motor noises and chattering people. My wife has commented that on a couple of buses she has been on recently had announcements so quiet as to be hard to hear, and that is no use to anyone.

The difference is that those who don't want to hear the announcements have various ways of blocking them out, but nothing can help a blind person actually see where they are.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Aug 2026 ==

I've been on a bus with very verbose repeating announcements every stop and it was really annoying and did not feel necessary. I think there's a difference between useful and not useful announcements. If it just said the location I'd be ok with it and clearly it would be great for visually impaired people. No worries. But the one I was on with repeated nagging about being careful and not standing too early, repeated every stop, i.e. every 30-60 seconds, seems a bit ridiculous and I do think there's an argument for balance there?

I agree. I'm not aware of any visually impaired people asking for that, and indeed they get in the way of the stop information being distinct.

 

[Krokodil]

Stop announcements on buses are very important for visually impaired people. You're surely not suggesting they should take second place in importance and not have them (especially when others are perfectly free to wear ear plugs if they wish)?

If they were purely "next stop - High Street" when approaching and "13 to Hades" when the doors open then I don't see much issue.

 

[Stephen98]

Just got off an Avanti service at Euston from Manchester, they must've played the auto announcement about 8 times in the space of 5 mins before departure, multiple of the previously mentioned shop ones. Then multiple lengthy ones on leaving each station, the delay reason and length of delay kind of got lost in everything else.
On approach to Euston, we were then told that the doors wouldn't open until the train had stopped and that you would have to press the green open button on the wall and then wait for the door to open fully before getting off.
I get some of it may be useful to infrequent travellers, but even then it seemed excessive

 

[speedy1]

I know you were venting, but just to clarify, the announcements do need to be loud enough to be readily heard on a busy bus, full of motor noises and chattering people. My wife has commented that on a couple of buses she has been on recently had announcements so quiet as to be hard to hear, and that is no use to anyone.

The difference is that those who don't want to hear the announcements have various ways of blocking them out, but nothing can help a blind person actually see where they are.

I am not indifferent to the needs of the visually impaired but I would like to highlight that in my post you originally quoted I also mentioned about the increasing audio levels, and it's actually getting harder to block out announcements with noise cancelling headphones. It's an arms race - DfT twonks are clearly aware how many people are wearing headphones now.

Here's an idea: how about no announcements upstairs on buses (am I going to get shrieking replies that it's ableist to suggest blind people tend to sit downstairs)? And on trains, quieter announcements in quiet coaches, and mini speakers at the priority seats? Or headphone sockets at each seat? There seems to be multiple cheap solutions

On approach to Euston, we were then told that the doors wouldn't open until the train had stopped and that you would have to press the green open button on the wall and then wait for the door to open fully before getting off.
I get some of it may be useful to infrequent travellers, but even then it seemed excessive

That is just ABSURD. What next? "After the doors open, for those with able legs, you will need to use your feet and legs in coordination to step off the train. Please only do this if it is safe to do so" ??

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Here's an idea: how about no announcements upstairs on buses (am I going to get shrieking replies that it's ableist to suggest blind people tend to sit downstairs)? And on trains, quieter announcements in quiet coaches, and mini speakers at the priority seats? Or headphone sockets at each seat? There seems to be multiple cheap solutions

Here's a better idea, make announcements "opt in" rather than "opt out". Seeing as nearly everyone has a smartphone these days, there should be a free GPS app that people who want to hear announcements can download so they can listen to them on headphones while the rest of us enjoy blissful silence!

 

[BuhSnarf]

Here's an idea: how about no announcements upstairs on buses (am I going to get shrieking replies that it's ableist to suggest blind people tend to sit downstairs)? And on trains, quieter announcements in quiet coaches, and mini speakers at the priority seats? Or headphone sockets at each seat? There seems to be multiple cheap solutions

Yes, that is ableist - not all those who have visual impairment are blind, not all those who use the NSAs are blind. If your noise cancelling headphones don't block out the announcements I would suggest maybe you need better headphones.

I do think there should be quieter announcements in the quiet coach and I actually really like the idea of mini speakers at the priority seats.

Here's a better idea, make announcements "opt in" rather than "opt out". Seeing as nearly everyone has a smartphone these days, there should be a free GPS app that people who want to hear announcements can download so they can listen to them on headphones while the rest of us enjoy blissful silence!

Bearing in mind we still accept cash on most journeys because not everyone has a debit card and people object to carrying smartphones I think this wouldn't go down well. Also, for those who are using screen reader technology you're basically saying that they cannot do anything on their phone whilst travelling on the bus/train which seems a bit unfair.

Bearing in mind the number of things that those with disabilities have to put up with or compromise on because the world is setup for able bodied folks I think "being forced" to listen to announcements is an inconvenience we can put up with.

 

[speedy1]

Yes, that is ableist - not all those who have visual impairment are blind, not all those who use the NSAs are blind. If your noise cancelling headphones don't block out the announcements I would suggest maybe you need better headphones.

I guessed as much, providing a mere guess at common patterns/balanced suggestion, that someone would weaponise language. I can do it too: it's anti neurodivergent and privileged to suggest NDs have to buy expensive headphones

Again, it's an arms race. noise cancelling has limits (already breached btw. They're not designed to block out very loud announcements)

 

[Krokodil]

Again, it's an arms race. noise cancelling has limits (already breached btw. They're not designed to block out very loud announcements)

And ultimately you don't want to block out the really important announcements. That's why the solution has to be keeping announcements in general to the bare minimum.

 

[BuhSnarf]

I guessed as much, providing a mere guess at common patterns/balanced suggestion, that someone would weaponise language. I can do it too: it's anti neurodivergent and privileged to suggest NDs have to buy expensive headphones

Again, it's an arms race. noise cancelling has limits (already breached btw. They're not designed to block out very loud announcements)

It's not about weaponising the language. It's about making the service as inclusive to as many people as possible. Have you tried to travel with a lack of sight?

 

[DelW]

It's not about weaponising the language. It's about making the service as inclusive to as many people as possible. Have you tried to travel with a lack of sight?

Surely those who need to hear announcements about stops etc. would be helped by reduction or removal of all the other dross. They must struggle to filter out the important bits just like the rest of us, and the consequences of missing an announcement that mattered could be more serious.

And ultimately you don't want to block out the really important announcements. That's why the solution has to be keeping announcements in general to the bare minimum.

Exactly - so why is the industry going so far the other way?

I firmly believe that those who mandate this stuff rarely or never travel by train themselves.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Surely those who need to hear announcements about stops etc. would be helped by reduction or removal of all the other dross. They must struggle to filter out the important bits just like the rest of us, and the consequences of missing an announcement that mattered could be more serious.

Exactly - so why is the industry going so far the other way?

I firmly believe that those who mandate this stuff rarely or never travel by train themselves.

Agree, the drivel can be reduced. But again you have to imagine that certain basic tasks become harder if you are visually impaired so some things that may appear drivel to us can actually be quite beneficial to someone who has never used a train and suffers with visual difficulties.

For example advertising that there is a buffet (and what products it stocks) can be quite useful if you are visually impaired as this means you can decide whether it's worth you struggling to navigate down the train if you know they serve what you want.

Bearing in mind adding extra announcements in costs the TOCs money (have to have it recorded, have to add it to the PIS) I can imagine that any message that goes on is put on for a reason, not nilly willy. Maybe through passenger request/staff request etc. It might be worth reaching out to someone in one of the TOCs to find out why?

 

[Coleridge]

I recently travelled on a Crosscountry train on which there were no automated announcements whatsoever, and the only manual announcements were simple "We're now approaching xxx" from the train manager. It was sheer bliss, and (as far as I know) no-one came to any harm by not being told to take care or to see it, say it, sorted every five minutes.