Auto Anouncments - Errors/funny sayings

[Mojo]

The clock on the (more advanced) push button system at Filton has been out by 50 minutes for a few months now. This is the train I catch every morning, it also calls at Chester le Street, as advertised on the screens, but the announcer doesn't seem to say it, ever. I recorded this this morning.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/mojo/fitannouncement.amr

 

[will1337]

I think that's a good idea for people not from the area...

Yeah but as the bus stops and destinations are shown on screens as well that leaves just blind people not from the area not entirely sure where they are which must be a tiny minority. I'd say 95% of people on London buses know where they are going or use the bus regularly, not to mention that routes and the places they go to are pretty clear on most bus stops and many also have the countdown system operating showing where the buses are going to from that stop.

 

[Mojo]

I would say it is a lot less than 95% in Central London. It's not always easy to see the screens when the bus is busy or if you're sitting at the front on a DD.

 

[dan_atki]

A few oddities to note from Southampton Airport Parkway...

The xx03 slow Waterloo services (Eastleigh, Shawford, Winchester, Basingstoke, Fleet, Farnborough, Clapham Junction, Waterloo) are shown on the boards and announced as Farnborough services presumably to inform passengers that the xx08 is a quicker service to Clapham Junction and Waterloo (stopping only at Winchester and Basingstoke).

Why this is only done at the Airport and not at Central one can only guess. I also wonder if it is altered if the xx08 is delayed/cancelled...

And one from Phil this morning: 'Platform 2 for the 10:08 stopping service to Poole' Is this a widespread announcement on SWT for these services (I did notice that the side of a 444 read 'Poole (stopping service)') or is it unique to SOA?

 

[P156KWJ]

The guy at Birmingham had a stutter yesterday, and sounds funny now with the new TOCs
"Platform 12 for the 1344 (high voice) London Midland (grumpy voice) service to Longbridge. Calling at Five waheys! Univerersity, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield and and Longbridge."
"PlePlease do notnot leee cases or parcels una unattended nywhere on the station. any unnattended articles, are likely to bebe removed ved without ning."

 

[Respite]

The auto announcer at Shrewsbury can be 'tweaked' to allow it to announce trains off platform 1 or 2..................even though the track there was lifted back in the 80's/early 90's..............:roll:

 

[me123]

Was at PYG for the first time a few days ago. Prestwick Airport Station; she sames a bit more pleased at this station than others. Maybe she wants out of Glasgow?

 

[P156KWJ]

Sheffield is bad for auto PAs. Instead of talkjing about trains, all she ever says is
"Due to today's wet wather, surfaces may be slippy" WELL DUH
"Security staff tour this station 24 hours a day" AND IF YOU LOOK TO YOUR LEFT, YOU'LL SEE PLATFORM 7A, AND IF YOU LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD, YOU'LL SEE A HST COMING STRAIGHT FOR YOU!!

 

[Nym]

It was ment to be "Due to today's inclement weather, please take extra care whilst on the station" at picc, it's not "wet weather".

The're announcing security aswell now...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Or at deansgate where you're told to stand clear of the platform for a passing train after it's held at the end signals or when it's just screamed past at 25mph, or when containers come through hauled by a 92 and somone jumped on cos they where sick of waiting for a picc train

 

[Bayum]

Once I was on an AXC service to Bournemouth, the Train Manager left the Mic on and at the end of announcing where we were calling at, he left the mic on and we all heard about his personal life and problems at home, as well as why the train was really late arriving into Leeds. Was rather funny!!

 

[Nym]

That sounds like Bill Baliey

We apologise for the severe delay, we appear to have driven into the belly of a dragon, lets hope he passes us out at crewe...

[youtube]0sv2byf3GIg[/youtube]

Fastforward to 2:30...

 

[kvbham]

The guy at Birmingham had a stutter yesterday, and sounds funny now with the new TOCs
"Platform 12 for the 1344 (high voice) London Midland (grumpy voice) service to Longbridge. Calling at Five waheys! Univerersity, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield and and Longbridge."
"PlePlease do notnot leee cases or parcels una unattended nywhere on the station. any unnattended articles, are likely to bebe removed ved without ning."

I think something is seriously broken at New Street on the platform speakers - for the past couple of weeks the automated announcements keep jumping in volume... at platform level! Therefore you hear a bit and then the volume goes incredibly low that you can't hear it and then comes back again.

Very strange... I've never heard the automated woman at new street.. do they still use her?

 

[Jonfun]

Not exactly auto-announcers, but I've had a few 'mishaps' with the PA at Bury Bolton Street. I've at least once announced to a platform-full of people, 'Passengers on platform x, please stand well clear of the platform edge as the train approaches' only to turn round to watch it approach and see it glide in on another platform. With the snow today, things were a bit hectic and the 0950 Rawtenstall service became the '1050-I-do-beg-your-pardon-0950 all stations departure for...' and the 0945 to Heywood was announced as 'all stations':???:... A good cuppa and a flapjack sorted me out though!

 

[Philip]

You can't tell what some of them are saying at Crewe. A couple of women do the announcements there, take it in turns. One of them has an extremely high and faint voice so it sounds unclear and muffled.

 

[Mushroom]

Not exactly auto-announcers, but I've had a few 'mishaps' with the PA at Bury Bolton Street. I've at least once announced to a platform-full of people, 'Passengers on platform x, please stand well clear of the platform edge as the train approaches' only to turn round to watch it approach and see it glide in on another platform. With the snow today, things were a bit hectic and the 0950 Rawtenstall service became the '1050-I-do-beg-your-pardon-0950 all stations departure for...' and the 0945 to Heywood was announced as 'all stations':???:... A good cuppa and a flapjack sorted me out though!

Hence why I let you or olly do it , can have a laugh and spare myself the embarrassment...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I think something is seriously broken at New Street on the platform speakers - for the past couple of weeks the automated announcements keep jumping in volume... at platform level! Therefore you hear a bit and then the volume goes incredibly low that you can't hear it and then comes back again.

Very strange... I've never heard the automated woman at new street.. do they still use her?

Seemed to be all right this weekend. Have never heard a woman auto announcer there although I dont know what they had before? Ascot?

 

[Jonfun]

Hence why I let you or olly do it , can have a laugh and spare myself the embarrassment...

lol! :razz:

 

[dan_atki]

Very strange... I've never heard the automated woman at new street.. do they still use her?

Birmingham New Street along with many other stations (mostly in southern England) use what is known as a Ditra to do the automated announcing (because it's made by Ditra Systems).

It is voiced by two people, a man (Phil Sayer, who is by far the best automated announcer I've come across), and a woman (Celia Drummond, who I find annoying to put it bluntly).

Some Ditras (particularly the older ones the Thameslink side of FCC have) are extremely basic and only have the necessary data loaded into it for the station it is used (which reminds me - almost 5 months on and Luton's still cannot say 'East Midlands Trains' :roll.

Others, such as those operated and owned by SWT and Southern, are incredibly sophisticated and (I believe at least) the SWT Ditras have every file loaded into them. They are so sophisticated they can announce LU engineering work, tell you the next train from a platform if one is delayed/cancelled, and even tell drivers of a specified road vehicle to move it if it's in the way.

Also several factors lead me to believe that SWT Ditras are placed at strategic network locations and are operated remotely via long line PA (e.g. announcements at unstaffed stations).

It is my understanding that on the non-basic ones (which I think New Street's comes into) have both Phil's and Celia's voice in them and all it takes is a simple changing of the admin settings on the system to change who does the announcements.

In the case of New Street I think they regularly test out Celia (maybe they get bored...) and test public response to her.

Many stations use the two voices together on alternate platforms so that people can distinguish which announcement is for which platform and SWT also has a habit of switching them every couple of months 'so customers don't switch off to the same voice each day'. Celia's voice is also used on the SWT Desiros after replacing Phil's towards the end of 2006/start of 2007 and also on the 455s. CIS improvements are also due on the Sprinters this year.

 

[me123]

I think we use exclusively Celia in Glasgow, but I'm not sure if it is her or someone else. She's bloody annoying, though, whoever she is.

 

[laseandre]

From the Wikipedia page about Class 318: The voice used in the audio announcement systems (in line with other First ScotRail services), is that of Scottish actress Fletcher Mathers. The system is based on the one used in Class 320 units rather than the 334s.

 

[me123]

^Yeah, I meant the ones on the platforms though, which are different to the ones on the trains. Ms. Mathers is the lady on the 334s and so on, but there is someone else on the platform.

 

[laseandre]

No, I'm sure it's the same woman.

 

[me123]

She may have recorded the words twice then (once for each system) as she says the words differently on the platform than she does on the train. I was sure whe was different, though. i actually prefer her on the train

 

[laseandre]

Yes, or maybe because the platforms are quite "echoey" (for want of a better word), so she sounds different.

 

[voyagerdude220]

It is my understanding that on the non-basic ones (which I think New Street's comes into) have both Phil's and Celia's voice in them and all it takes is a simple changing of the admin settings on the system to change who does the announcements.

I personally feel that Bristol Temple Meads was far, far, better when Phil Sayer did the automated announcements, instead of the female voice which does them at present. (It was alot easier to understand Phil's announcements- I'm not being sexist.)

 

[class 313]

We at St Albans still have Phil when the Auto Announcements are on. I much prefer his announcements, adds a classic edge to it IMO.

 

[dan_atki]

I personally feel that Bristol Temple Meads was far, far, better when Phil Sayer did the automated announcements, instead of the female voice which does them at present. (It was alot easier to understand Phil's announcements- I'm not being sexist.)

I would have to agree, although hearing old recordings Celia didn't used to sound as bad as she does now (although it beats me as to why she'd re-record the entire script :???: ).

I think Phil is a lot easier to understand as each recording is done at the same speed, volume, and pitch - something which varies with Celia, who happens to make several errors in pronunciation as well...

 

[P156KWJ]

I know it's not an auto-announcement, but I think when catering staff read out the script on EMT services they feel like complete prats "buy and sandwich, bag of walkers crisps and bottle of water or pop for an AMAZING £3.95!" and at Leicester the sign which makes me laugh points to the vending machine and is an old intercity one that says "autobuffet"

 

[Philip]

Who does the 185 announcements?

Whoever it is sounds quite good and to the point, one of the better automated PA systems I've come across.

 

[thefab444]

Not sure of her name, but I dislike the way she seems to hate places like "Stockpert!"... Whilst its understandable, its not professional.


Also...

"We will shortly be arriving at Wankcaster, pleaseensureyoutakeallofyourpersonalitemswithyou if alighting atWankcaster."

 

[Jordy]

Who does the 185 announcements?

Whoever it is sounds quite good and to the point, one of the better automated PA systems I've come across.

I believe her name is Angie Hunt!

Yes she is pretty good, thefab442 just has a personal grudge against her