"All change please, all change."

[RailAleFan]

Is there some kind of history / tradition behind this announcement?

Was it a BR standard or something that has persisted into modern day usage? The final "all change" of course being completely redundant, which is why I've always wondered if there is a little more to it...!?

 

[DownSouth]

The final "all change" of course being completely redundant, which is why I've always wondered if there is a little more to it...!?

Err, redundancy (in a good sense) might be the reason for that?

When a public address announcement comes out of the blue, it takes a few seconds to switch your attention. Therefore it's best to either put some unimportant stuff at the start (perhaps introductory chimes which are good because they should have slightly higher frequencies, or maybe unimportant waffle like "good morning ladies and gentlemen, the next station is…") or repeat the first few words at the end.

Whether the BR people who came to that convention over time knew that or not is irrelevant, maybe they just came to the conclusion that a bit of repetition was necessary for the really important announcements based on trial and error.

 

[swt_passenger]

Beats me why they play it on station platforms as a terminating train approaches, (unless it's just considered a polite way of telling waiting passengers not to board), because no one on a modern train will actually hear it...

 

[185]

Politer than "Oi Gerrof!"

 

[GatwickDepress]

In the same vein is the Southern region station 'reminders': "Haywards Heath, this is Haywards Heath."

 

[edwin_m]

Always strikes me as a bit odd when this is announced approaching a terminus where any train you could change onto would be going back the way you came, and probably the same train on its return journey.

 

[hassaanhc]

In the same vein is the Southern region station 'reminders': "Haywards Heath, this is Haywards Heath."

I love that (Being pedantic it is only Southern and possibly some Southeastern stations that have it ). Even the new announcer at Gatwick Airport and East Croydon have it. Probably dates back to the days of the Mk1 group of stock :P

 

[bb21]

Always strikes me as a bit odd when this is announced approaching a terminus where any train you could change onto would be going back the way you came, and probably the same train on its return journey.

To be fair it doesn't just refer to changing to another train though.

 

[bussnapperwm]

I love that (Being pedantic it is only Southern and possibly some Southeastern stations that have it ). Even the new announcer at Gatwick Airport and East Croydon have it. Probably dates back to the days of the Mk1 group of stock :P

Some cross city line services have for them "Birmingham New Street, this is Birmingham New Street" then announces the cross city line service...

 

[Taunton]

Way back in history when there were porters on the platforms, they would shout this out, invariably multiple times (generally without an intervening 'please') as terminating trains came to a stand.

The GWR even had some bay platforms at junction stations where the nameboard, instead of the station name, had All Change as the text.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Is there some kind of history / tradition behind this announcement?

Well, naturally I always wish a change of clothes after sitting in seats that common people have used.

 

[bengolding]

I love that (Being pedantic it is only Southern and possibly some Southeastern stations that have it ). Even the new announcer at Gatwick Airport and East Croydon have it. Probably dates back to the days of the Mk1 group of stock :P

'Birmingham New St, this is Birmingham New St'. Not sure if Digital Dave still plays that there but I'm sure it drove the station staff mad given its repetitive nature!

 

[plymothian]

Studies [citation needed] show that people do not absorb all the information the first time it is presented to them, thus it is recommended to repeat what has been said - but more importantly it should be in either a different word order or using different words completely.

 

[tsr]

Always strikes me as a bit odd when this is announced approaching a terminus where any train you could change onto would be going back the way you came, and probably the same train on its return journey.

On the other hand, it could make sense at London termini (Tube connections + various buses/coaches), or at stations such as Brighton, where trains must terminate (or very occasionally reverse) but changes can be made for other routes starting/terminating there.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I love that (Being pedantic it is only Southern and possibly some Southeastern stations that have it ). Even the new announcer at Gatwick Airport and East Croydon have it. Probably dates back to the days of the Mk1 group of stock :P

Fine, the "proper areas of the Southern region" then. I do love the little jingle followed by Phil Sayer (I think?) saying "Carshalton Beeches".

Sometimes it can be very eerie. Three Bridges in the middle of a damp, dismal winter night can make it reverberate like footsteps!

'Birmingham New St, this is Birmingham New St'. Not sure if Digital Dave still plays that there but I'm sure it drove the station staff mad given its repetitive nature!

I didn't hear it the last time I spent a few hours there - I can imagine the poor platform dispatcher going bonkers though! New Street is bad enough normally!

 

[dannypye9999]

Who is the announcer at Manchester Piccadilly? Shes also heard at Euston aswell, one of the worst announcers in living memory.
I hate her slow and dragging on forever voice, anything she says has the potential to drive me right round the bend. Just glad im not one of them poor despatchers who have to live under her constant annoying voice every day, especially when she says the word "northern" and "Manchester Airport"

 

[GatwickDepress]

That'll be Atos Anne! Don't you just love her?

 

[hassaanhc]

Who is the announcer at Manchester Piccadilly? Shes also heard at Euston aswell, one of the worst announcers in living memory.
I hate her slow and dragging on forever voice, anything she says has the potential to drive me right round the bend. Just glad im not one of them poor despatchers who have to live under her constant annoying voice every day, especially when she says the word "northern" and "Manchester Airport"

That'll be Atos Anne! Don't you just love her?

The voice itself isn't too bad in my opinion (shall I get my coat? ), the issue is finding it hard to understand what she is saying when you mix in echo from the concourse and diesel trains taking off. Euston is ok, it is Paddington that is most annoying. Volume too low, diesel trains taking off every few minutes (especially the extremely noisy 165/166 "Turbos" ) and the echo blurs everything together. Today I thought it was easier to hear and understand outside the main entrance from Praed Street than on the concourse itself.
The new Southern voice I quite like, however at Victoria again the "volume too low" issue, and there are no diesel trains there to drown out sound, although as usual echo does exist.

 

[Crossover]

The worst digital voice must be the one I had the misfortune of listening to at Sittingbourne - that really is slow!

Anyway, having read this thread on the train earlier, I had something of a wry smile on my face when I heard "The next station will be Sheffield. If you are leaving the train here.....", though in fairness she did pause for a moment as she said that, presumably realising she had gone into robot mode!

 

[Flamingo]

Politer than "Oi Gerrof!"

My personal favourite "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"

The alternative is "Right, we're here, so bugger off the lot of you and go annoy somebody else!"

 

[dcsprior]

My personal favourite "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"

Do you sing it?

 

[dvboy]

'Birmingham New St, this is Birmingham New St'. Not sure if Digital Dave still plays that there but I'm sure it drove the station staff mad given its repetitive nature!

Long gone, and the current voices don't make that announcement anymore.

 

[SamS]

That'll be Atos Anne! Don't you just love her?

Liverpool South Parkway .

 

[dannypye9999]

Some of Virgins pendolino auto announcements could be better timed. For example when she says "We are now approaching Stockport" when the train has just passed through Bramhall and is yet to approach Cheadle Hulme - 6 mins away.

 

[CarltonA]

Slough used to be announced as "Slough, Slough this is Slough" leading some regular commuters to mumble in time "Slough, Slough, quick quick Slough".

 

[yorksrob]

I love that (Being pedantic it is only Southern and possibly some Southeastern stations that have it ). Even the new announcer at Gatwick Airport and East Croydon have it. Probably dates back to the days of the Mk1 group of stock :P

Yes, it does. Certainly endemic on the South Eastern division in my day.

 

[edwin_m]

Yes, it does. Certainly endemic on the South Eastern division in my day.

When there was no PA on the train, this was the only way of alerting passengers who were blind or simply not looking!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Crewe is one of those names which is difficult to draw attention to, however loud you say it.
A VERY long time ago, the arrival tape used to say "Crewe, Crewe Station, C-R-E-W-E" with the last in a long-drawn-out basso profundo voice.
It sounded more like a deep growl than a station announcement.
They still specialise in muffled announcements.
ATW calls it Creyw in Welsh.
Come to think of it I've never heard a station arrival announcement in Welsh, only departure information, and always recorded.
At Cardiff I suppose it would go "Caerdydd Yma" (or is it "Dyma Gaerdydd"?).

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Crewe is one of those names which is difficult to draw attention to, however loud you say it.
A VERY long time ago, the arrival tape used to say "Crewe, Crewe Station, C-R-E-W-E" with the last in a long-drawn-out basso profundo voice.
It sounded more like a deep growl than a station announcement.
They still specialise in muffled announcements.
ATW calls it Creyw in Welsh.
Come to think of it I've never heard a station arrival announcement in Welsh, only departure information, and always recorded.
At Cardiff I suppose it would go "Caerdydd Yma" (or is it "Dyma Gaerdydd"?).

The bloke at Crewe always sounds depressed.

 

[talldave]

Ahhh Carshalton Beeches, fond memories of the station of my youth and the only one where I saw "Gap/step the mind" painted on the platform edge.

A Victoria announcement for that line also appears in Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls!