Announcements - Can they be slowed down a little?

[pally]

Hallo,
I will introduce myself as a retiree who travels by rail only a few times a year and only for pleasure, usually in the Grantham - York - Manchester area.
In my limited experience journeys are far quieter, cleaner and generally easier in every way than they used to be. Fare price structure is very complicated.
I am not deaf, just older, like many other passengers and I would like to ask why railway station, carriage and airport announcers can't speak just a little bit slower to allow for the distortions of the amplification system and the reverberations of the buildings?
Normal conversation speed is too fast. It is as though the making of announcements is an unwanted additional job and should be hurried through as quickly as possible.
The worst was in March this year on an East Coast train on the last lap into Edinburgh Waverley when it was just a machine-gun clatter which had even the Scottish people around us laughing.
The best was on the afternoon of August Bank Holiday this year travelling on a crowded train from Bolton to Manchester when the lady had a lot to say about baggage in the aisles etc. She spoke clearly, slightly slowly, loudly enough and didn't drop her voice towards the end of a sentence. Perfect.
I wonder whether anyone is paid to monitor this.

 

[andrewkeith5]

I can but agree! Even someone younger like me can really have trouble with some of the announcements made on trains and in stations.

A few other things bug me, notably the fact that the information is always different - the company has a script for a reason, and sometimes it's nice to get the announcer that enjoys their job and goes off script for a laught, but I do get a little annoyed when the announcer clearly can't be bothered.

I doubt anybody is paid to monitor this, but certainly someone should be monitoring it even if it isn't their full time job, as it's a very important part of the experience especially for those who struggle with English.

On the flip side, the automated announcements on Southern are beginning to infuriate me with their incessant repetition! I don't need to know that I'm in coach 12 of 12 three times for every station we stop at :P

 

[Lockwood]

I've had a great announcement which I really want to say was on a 444, but it was a slow and I don't think slows get the 444.

ThisTrainIsForLondonWaterlooCallingAtRowlandsCastlePetersfieldLissLiphook
...............................
...............................
...............................
HaslmereGodalmingFarncombeGuidfordWorplesdonWokingClaphamJunctionAndLondonWaterlloTheNextStationIsRowlandsCastle


Whilst it is a fast announcement, the long pause as the computer stops for air (I know, I know, it's a memory issue) is both funny, and reduces the average speed down to an acceptable pace.

 

[MK Tom]

I tend to find the automated announcements in my area are very clear and slow, but the spoken ones are often impossible, especially when the speakers are really quiet, distorted, drowned out by passing trains or the sound of people talking, or distorted by echoes. The first problem they need to address is the quietness of the speakers in a lot of stations when being done from a mic rather than the automated system.

 

[sd0733]

From doing announcements on trains one problem is that you cant actually hear the announcements at all if you're doing it from the back cab and if you're doing it from the train you can only really hear yourself talking so unless a passenger ever passes on any feedback (fairly unusual) you don't really know how they come across making it difficult to judge how its coming across to people.

 

[ex-railwayman]

I agree with the OP's interpretation of getting these messages across concisely and precisely, however, being on a station platform to being on a train are 2 totally different environments, with background noises, listing of stations that the service will call at and the ability, or, inability, to announce these messages audibly sufficient, being a few examples. Unfortunately, it is also the regional accents and dialects that come into play that may hinder the general public from realising what is being said, which may prove important to their travel plans, and things are regrettably missed in the translation. I"ve also had a fair bit of empathy for on board train announcers over the years when they have to shout out the names of 30, or so, stations a service calls at say between Brighton and London Victoria, for example, rather than those who are travelling between Doncaster and Kings X, where the train may only stop at 3 stations in between, it's sod's law I guess on the area that you cover as to the number of announcements you have to make to your passengers, those with very few stops can take their time in doing it.

 

[Eagle]

Of course the reason that automated announcements are much clearer is that they were recorded in a soundproof studio with professional-standard equipment, which is a little bit better than a lightweight wall-mounted microphone in a moving rail vehicle.

 

[Lockwood]

Or done in a mic in the office with the person doing the announcement's colleagues making funny faces at them.

I've heard from someone who did some of the special announcements that there are usually several takes on them because of this

 

[pally]

As a newcomer to the forum I am relieved to find that people agree with me and that I am not dismissed as just a whingeing old devil.
One usually can catch '...for travelling....take your bag...wi.. you', and ' crisps blur blur...' etc and you hope that the announcement isn't any more important, but on Sunday 25th August the Grantham to York train failed at Newark, much to the surprise of those of us seated distant from the inaudible speakers. The speakers in the relief train we joined at Newark were barely audible.
It puts unnecessary tension into a journey.
The overhead scrolling information thingys in the carriages are good.
I wish that the announcers in the huge high-ceilinged reverberatory departure lounge at the Isle of Man airport could be made to listen to themselves. Loud enough but, at conversation speed in a building like that, impossibly fast. You sit there, clutching tickets and passport, watching other people who you imagine might be wanting the same plane, ready to run with them, except that you are not as fast as you were. It is undignified and not the kind of service that you have paid for.
I wonder whether this will never change, like the widely criticised obliterating background music to television programmes.
Over and out!

 

[FGW_DID]

....over and out....

Incorrect voice comms procedure there

Over: I have finished talking and require a response.

Out: I have finished talking, no response required.

Never used together!

 

[1e10]

It's not just old people, I struggle with understanding the announcements and have witnessed others on trains in a great deal of confusion because of the poor quality announcements.

A teen on a service heading towards Weymouth wanted to alight at Dorchester West and wasn't sure what station we were at. They were about to alight because they though they were at the correct station, luckily I overheard them saying where they wanted to get to and informed them of when they should actually get off.

 

[pally]

I never knew that!
Too many Hollywood films.
Thanks.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

I've had people asking me what the next station was as the auto annoucer was quiet. Must be the software that could be having problems.

 

[causton]

Or done in a mic in the office with the person doing the announcement's colleagues making funny faces at them.

I've heard from someone who did some of the special announcements that there are usually several takes on them because of this

SWT's special announcements always have a telephone ringing in the background in the middle - I swear it must be someone else in the office having a laugh and ringing the person up while they're recording

 

[Lockwood]

Incorrect voice comms procedure there

Over: I have finished talking and require a response.

Out: I have finished talking, no response required.

Never used together!

That is one of my biggest annoyances when I'm doing radio work.
(Heard a story about that with QHM locally, but is far too off topic for this)

 

[crewmeal]

Whilst I have no wish to critisise accents from around the UK I feel if TOC's spent time training crews on intonation and pronunciation it would help. Of course there will always be those that love the sound of their own voice and won't shut up. This applies to airlines as well.

 

[306024]

Incorrect voice comms procedure there

Over: I have finished talking and require a response.
Out: I have finished talking, no response required.
Never used together!

That made me smile

Of all the automatic announcements only SWT makes me cringe. The stations are rattled through without pausing for breath. Those on GA are amongst the best for intonation and clarity.

 

[pally]

I wouldn't dare to tread in the dangerous grounds of regional accents but even there, if they speak a bit slower, the traveller might be able to catch the drift and at least is reminded of the region that he/she is in. An effort would have been made by both parties.
It must be boring to have to go through a lot of waffle about sandwiches and drinks but the announcer, whatever he is saying or having to say, is hugely important to irregular passengers like me and for a few seconds represents the company from which we bought the tickets.
Surely the long 'sandwiches' message could be a properly, ie clearly and slowly, recorded one?
Is anyone in charge?

 

[Greeby]

It's one of the biggest traps an announcer can fall into is running through the stops way too fast. Often needing to pause for breath at odd points.

Example. I went to the LG arena for events two nights on the trot. I arrived at about 18:00 or so (doors open at 19:30) and was hanging about the concourse at Birmingham International for a little bit. The announcer there would announce the 18:14 CrossCountry to Bournemouth like so.....

"The next train to arrive on platform 4, is the 18:14 CrossCountry service to Bournemouth.....

Calling at CoventryLeamingtonSpaBanbury......
......OxfordReadingBasingstoke.........
......WinchesterSouthamptonAirportSouthamptonCentralBrockenhurstandBournemouth."

You need to get your flow and your cadence right, then the actual message becomes easy

 

[sarahj]

On one train someone came up and complained that they could not hear what I was saying, 5 mins later someone came up and said I had been too loud on the whole trip.

But then one one train with a delay at one stop someone came up and said, 'thanks you kept us well imformed'. Meanwhile at the next someone came up and said, 'not enough info'.

I have been complemented on my french and german announcement for Gatwick mind.

We still of course get those who came up and said I never heard a thing, while they take the headphones off.

 

[Eagle]

On one train someone came up and complained that they could not hear what I was saying, 5 mins later someone came up and said I had been too loud on the whole trip.

But then one one train with a delay at one stop someone came up and said, 'thanks you kept us well imformed'. Meanwhile at the next someone came up and said, 'not enough info'.

I have been complemented on my french and german announcement for Gatwick mind.

We still of course get those who came up and said I never heard a thing, while they take the headphones off.

Just to be clear, is this on a train where all the announcements are automated?

(Having said that, the announcements on 377s are definitely too much. I can understand the need to announce the coach number frequently, due to splitting services, although of course it's unnecessary on trains that don't divide. But what gets me is the fact that the full station list is announced at every station. On a service from Southampton to Brighton, which has about 20 stops spaced every few minutes and seemingly every name ends in -on-Sea, it gets very irritating very fast.)

 

[306024]

On a service from Southampton to Brighton, which has about 20 stops spaced every few minutes and seemingly every name ends in -on-Sea, it gets very irritating very fast.

Or on South Eastern high speed:

"We will be calling at Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International, Stratford International, and St.Pancras International".

When did Kent declare independence?

 

[DeeGee]

When did Kent declare independence?

1066, as it happens.

Hence "Invicta"

 

[306024]

1066, as it happens. Hence "Invicta"

In that case we will never abolish the tolls on the Dartford crossing.

As for airlines, it strikes me that pilots are accepted on two criteria, strictly in this order:
1) Ability to make the most laid back announcements possible
2) Ability to fly the plane.
Even cabin crew get disorientated. Recently we were welcomed to Prague on arrival at Heathrow

Anyway the point is that regardless of how many times you have to make the same announcement, try not to think of it as a chore to be rattled through as quickly as possible. Some modern PA systems are very clear and passengers can pick up any hint of boredom from the tone of the voice.

 

[island]

Or on South Eastern high speed:

"We will be calling at Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International, Stratford International, and St.Pancras International".

When did Kent declare independence?

Those are all the stations' actual names, intended to be because international train stations call there. (Although I don't think there are any at Stratford International at the moment?)

 

[306024]

Ah that would explain it !

I was just pointing out the irony of the persistent use of 'international' on a domestic service. And no, there are no international trains calling at Stratford International, yet.........(if ever).

 

[island]

Didn't some/all Eurostar services start/finish there during the olympics last year?

 

[Muzer]

Didn't some/all Eurostar services start/finish there during the olympics last year?

Not AFAIR.

 

[Eagle]

I'm pretty sure that no international services will ever call at Stratford International (unless the HS1-HS2 link is built and there are through services).

A better name for it would be Stratford Olympic, given how it's in the middle of the Olympic park. Then again that's now officially called the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, so maybe Stratford Elizabeth? :P

 

[SS4]

I'm pretty sure that no international services will ever call at Stratford International (unless the HS1-HS2 link is built and there are through services).

A better name for it would be Stratford Olympic, given how it's in the middle of the Olympic park. Then again that's now officially called the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, so maybe Stratford Elizabeth? :P

What about Stratford (Not the Shakespeare one)