Avanti take needless announcements to a new level

[Bikeman78]

I'm pleased to report that all the slippery platform announcements at Glasgow Central had stopped yesterday. Despite all the other usual suspects carrying on as usual, I reckon the amount of background noise was cut by 50%. There were actual periods of silence. It was bliss.

 

[Russel]

SWR, I find particularly bad.

A constant barrage of automated announcements, but annoying that after "This is the xx.xx train to... calling at ..." then the conductor/guard repeats the same message.

The one time I used SWR last year was a 444 between Southampton and Waterloo, the auto announcements weren't working and there was very few manual ones, believe it or not, somehow we all survived!

Same thing happened on a Soctrail 380...

Miracles do happen it seems.

 

[Halwynd]

Is it though, or is that his opinion?

Not suggesting it doesn't happen, but I wouldn't suggest it's rife either.

I really don't know. Could it be a localised problem in the North West perhaps? (his announcement was made between Wigan and Warrington) I can't think of a reason why he would make such an announcement if there wasn't some truth to it.

 

[Angmering1974]

I'm pleased to report that all the slippery platform announcements at Glasgow Central had stopped yesterday.

But did Glasgow emergency services manage to cope with the absolute carnage that must have ensued as a result of the lack of announcements? 100s of broken bones surely?

Presumably ScotRail is going to go bankrupt when the 100s of legal claims start rolling in??

/s

 

[Bikeman78]

But did Glasgow emergency services manage to cope with the absolute carnage that must have ensued as a result of the lack of announcements? 100s of broken bones surely?

Presumably ScotRail is going to go bankrupt when the 100s of legal claims start rolling in??

/s

I've mentioned before that Councils don't seem at all interested. Pavements can be slippery anywhere at this time of year, my most recent example being just a few days ago. Clearly they don't get sued very often and the cost of settling a few cases will be less than trying to de-ice thousands of miles of pavement.

I would be interested to know how many claims a typical TOC gets per year for people slipping over. Do they pay out on any of them, assuming there is no defect resulting in a trip hazard? Is there any evidence that relentless announcements make the slightest bit of difference? Who are the subset of people that can walk across a slippery concourse and not notice that it is slippery until an auto generated message tells them? I don't believe that any such people exist.

 

[talldave]

SWR, I find particularly bad.

A constant barrage of automated announcements, but annoying that after "This is the xx.xx train to... calling at ..." then the conductor/guard repeats the same message.

I'd love to have the opportunity to get into SWR's offices and play endless brainless announcements at maximum volume at them. See how they like it!!!

 

[stadler]

SWR, I find particularly bad.

A constant barrage of automated announcements, but annoying that after "This is the xx.xx train to... calling at ..." then the conductor/guard repeats the same message.

Yes this annoys me so much. SWR are by far the worst for endless annoying repetitive announcements. Not only do they have excessive automated announcements warning you about everything but their guards also just love repeating everything. Every time i use a SWR train the guard ends up repeating everything that the automated announcements just said. It is so annoying. It is so much more pleasant travelling on Southern and Southeastern and Thameslink where you get far less announcements. They do still have occasional safety announcements but nowhere near as much as SWR have. Also their Guards and OBSs and OBMs only make occasional announcements and never repeat the automated announcements. SWR need to get their act together and crack down on these excessive repetitive announcements.

 

[talldave]

Yes this annoys me so much. SWR are by far the worst for endless annoying repetitive announcements. Not only do they have excessive automated announcements warning you about everything but their guards also just love repeating everything. Every time i use a SWR train the guard ends up repeating everything that the automated announcements just said. It is so annoying. It is so much more pleasant travelling on Southern and Southeastern and Thameslink where you get far less announcements. They do still have occasional safety announcements but nowhere near as much as SWR have. Also their Guards and OBSs and OBMs only make occasional announcements and never repeat the automated announcements. SWR need to get their act together and crack down on these excessive repetitive announcements.

And to maximise the frustration, even getting on a coach marked "Quiet Zone" doesn't provide any respite from the incessant waffle.

 

[Sprinter107]

On a recent trip from Marylebone to Moor Street, it was lovely and peaceful from London to Banbury, with just the auto announcement when approaching stations, until the conductor boards at Banbury. Then we get bombarded with waffle, and the same at every subsequent station.
We had all managed perfectly well to Banbury, but it was obviously thought we couldn't manage without instruction on to Moor Street.

 

[Tester]

I have heard it suggested that guards are required to repeat the auto-announcements, and suffer consequences if they don't do it.

If this is so, I can't imagine they enjoy doing it. Can any guards let us know?

Whyever would that be? - it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[michael8]

On a similar note, I find it amusing that you can get off a Northern Line train at Euston, walk right along side it as it's pulling out of the station, yellow line inches from the platform edge and everyone lives to see another day, yet you get on an Avanti service from Euston and when you get off at the other end of your journey, the TM almost without fail will be screaming at people to stand away from the sacred yellow line that's a good 2 feet away from the platform edge...

I often wonder how some of Avanti's staff would cope doing a shift on an LU platform!

I think what is quite often misunderstood is that the yellow line is only PARTLY there for your safety. The real purpose is to allow the driver/staff to have an uninterrupted view along the length of the platform (as long as passengers are stood behind it), and this is why it's enforced. If EVERYBODY is behind the yellow line, any outliers can be easily spotted - and emergency action taken eg. if they are drunk, ill and fall, get trapped, etc. THAT'S the reason for stand behind the yellow line - to ensure safe dispatch and arrival and to make platform staff and drivers' work more efficient and safe. Platform dispatch NEED a clear view of the platform edge in order to safely dispatch a train, hence the yellow line being 2 feet away from the edge. The reason why the yellow line can be much closer to the platform edge on UG stations is partly because the tube train is that much closer to the platform, is much more uniform in its profile, and therefore much fewer opportunities for passengers to become trapped as it's moving off.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I think what is quite often misunderstood is that the yellow line is only PARTLY there for your safety. The real purpose is to allow the driver/staff to have an uninterrupted view along the length of the platform (as long as passengers are stood behind it), and this is why it's enforced. If EVERYBODY is behind the yellow line, any outliers can be easily spotted - and emergency action taken eg. if they are drunk, ill and fall, get trapped, etc. THAT'S the reason for stand behind the yellow line - to ensure safe dispatch and arrival and to make platform staff and drivers' work more efficient and safe. Platform dispatch NEED a clear view of the platform edge in order to safely dispatch a train, hence the yellow line being 2 feet away from the edge. The reason why the yellow line can be much closer to the platform edge on UG stations is partly because the tube train is that much closer to the platform, is much more uniform in its profile, and therefore much fewer opportunities for passengers to become trapped as it's moving off.

How did we ever manage for the past 200 years.

 

[cats_five]

How did we ever manage for the past 200 years.

We had more accidents.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

We had more accidents.

Did we? Is there evidence that the yellow lines and the accompanying shouters have achieved anything positive. The yellow line and clear PTI (passenger train interface) still wouldn't prevent a guard giving a driver two bells with someone running towards, close to, or actually leant against the train, if they chose to do so regardless of the obvious dangers of that action.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

I like the automated announcement on Greater Anglia trains at the penultimate stop:

Sitting at Diss for example: Welcome to this service for Norwich, calling at Norwich, the next stop is Norwich.

Do you think the train is going to Norwich?

 

[Russel]

We had more accidents.

As a result of overall safety improvements yes, but I'm not convinced the current crop of box ticking announcements are doing much to reduce anything.

They have just become background noise.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jan 2026 ==

We had more accidents.

As a result of overall safety improvements yes, but I'm not convinced the current crop of box ticking announcements are doing much to reduce anything.

They have just become background noise.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jan 2026 ==

We had more accidents.

As a result of overall safety improvements yes, but I'm not convinced the current crop of box ticking announcements are doing much to reduce anything.

They have just become background noise.

 

[philjo]

I have heard the beware of slippery platforms due to inclement weather announcements at Kings Cross a few times when it was warm & sunny and the platforms were completely dry. It may have rained much earlier in the day but the announcements seem to keep playing all day.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Slightly off topic but hardly worth starting a new thread - on the subject of bizarre announcements about Avanti services - rather than aboard them. There was a curious announcement made twice at Stockport today before the arrival of the 14.24 to Euston. After the usual details the auto announcement continued 'travel in the first eleven coaches for Macclesfield, Stoke, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Euston. It was of course an 11 car train - perhaps it was because, at that stage, a change in the allocated 390 had been made and the previous allocation had not been removed. But it was odd!

It was in a different form to the standard announcements for a short platform station, for example 'passengers for Haymarket should board the front 10 coaches'.

 

[TUC]

Slightly off topic but hardly worth starting a new thread - on the subject of bizarre announcements about Avanti services - rather than aboard them. There was a curious announcement made twice at Stockport today before the arrival of the 14.24 to Euston. After the usual details the auto announcement continued 'travel in the first eleven coaches for Macclesfield, Stoke, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Euston. It was of course an 11 car train - perhaps it was because, at that stage, a change in the allocated 390 had been made and the previous allocation had not been removed. But it was odd!

It was in a different form to the standard announcements for a short platform station, for example 'passengers for Haymarket should board the front 10 coaches'.

Even if it had been a linger train, I'm left wondering how passengers are meant to work out whether they are in one of the first eleven coaches? Knowing whether you are in the front two is one thing, but eleven?

 

[D1537]

Even if it had been a linger train, I'm left wondering how passengers are meant to work out whether they are in one of the first eleven coaches? Knowing whether you are in the front two is one thing, but eleven?

Not greatly different from LNER's Aberdeen services with its combination of "front 7 coaches only" and "front 8 coaches only" for various stations, I suppose.

 

[route101]

Not onboard but the toilet at East Kilbride Station has a announcements that give you a guide to the accessible WC.

 

[Krokodil]

When in Istanbul the auto announcer was reminding people to remain behind the yellow line until the train had stopped.

There were platform edge doors! I don't think that there was even a yellow line.

 

[BG2024]

Slightly off topic but hardly worth starting a new thread - on the subject of bizarre announcements about Avanti services - rather than aboard them. There was a curious announcement made twice at Stockport today before the arrival of the 14.24 to Euston. After the usual details the auto announcement continued 'travel in the first eleven coaches for Macclesfield, Stoke, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Euston. It was of course an 11 car train - perhaps it was because, at that stage, a change in the allocated 390 had been made and the previous allocation had not been removed. But it was odd!

It was in a different form to the standard announcements for a short platform station, for example 'passengers for Haymarket should board the front 10 coaches'.

Often hear TfW services at Manchester Piccadilly get an announcement along the lines of "This train is formed of two coaches; please travel in the front two coaches for..."

 

[Russel]

When in Istanbul the auto announcer was reminding people to remain behind the yellow line until the train had stopped.

There were platform edge doors! I don't think that there was even a yellow line.

If Avanti ran the Elizabeth Line...

 

[TUC]

Not onboard but the toilet at East Kilbride Station has a announcements that give you a guide to the accessible WC.

It is very helpful if you are visually impaired to know where the toilet roll and the flush are located. Accessible toilets are rather large and cavernous, and the location of such items vary.

 

[DelW]

Slightly off topic but hardly worth starting a new thread - on the subject of bizarre announcements about Avanti services - rather than aboard them. There was a curious announcement made twice at Stockport today before the arrival of the 14.24 to Euston. After the usual details the auto announcement continued 'travel in the first eleven coaches for Macclesfield, Stoke, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Euston. It was of course an 11 car train - perhaps it was because, at that stage, a change in the allocated 390 had been made and the previous allocation had not been removed. But it was odd!

Boarding an Exeter train at Woking on Saturday, both auto announcements and platform displays said "front 8 coaches for Exeter" (as it would divide at Salisbury). But those same displays showed it was only an 8 coach train (159/158/159), and in fact only the front 5 were going to Exeter. Cue lots of pax walking forward through coach 6 after the guard went through checking tickets.

 

[mmh]

Even if it had been a linger train, I'm left wondering how passengers are meant to work out whether they are in one of the first eleven coaches? Knowing whether you are in the front two is one thing, but eleven?

"The Southern" solved this decades ago. Elecrostars from introduction had near perfect display screen and audio announcements.

"Travel in the front x coaches for Blah, Blah, Blah. This is coach number y of z."

To this day it's only the southern region TOCs who do SDO and splitting trains well, everywhere else is rubbish at it.

 

[Merle Haggard]

"The Southern" solved this decades ago. Elecrostars from introduction had near perfect display screen and audio announcements.

"Travel in the front x coaches for Blah, Blah, Blah. This is coach number y of z."

To this day it's only the southern region TOCs who do SDO and splitting trains well, everywhere else is rubbish at it.

In the pre-Covid timetable there was a Down London Midland train in the evening peak formed of 3 x 350s. At Northampton the front 4 went on to Birmingham and the rear 4 returned to Euston, The middle four, after the others had left, went to the depot.

In each set both the automatic announcements and the interior and exterior displays correctly showed the particular destination for each different set - obviously the rear set showing Northampton, as well as the middle set. .There were also automatic announcements that 'the front four coaches are for Birmingham New Street' On arrival at Northampton there was the announcement 'this train terminates here' in the rear two sets. Usually the conductor made an announcement as well. I regularly travelled on it from Milton Keynes to Northampton and I usually tried to advise nearby people in the rear 8 cars that I noticed were making no attempt to move to move to the front 4 coaches. When I did so there were three responses; gratitude; indifference; and contradiction - sometimes hostile. The first category was probably the smallest but I regarded it as an experiment in human behaviour. If the train was late the last set could start its journey back to Euston quite promptly which I think may have caught people out, but the station staff did try.

Splitting and joining is still reasonably slick at Northampton. Not now for different destinations, just adding/removing sets 4 > 8, 8 > 12 and vice versa. All done by the traincrew of course.

In the halcyon days of the Sunny South Express through carriages from the East and West Midlands and the North East and East Midlands were reformed into two trains for different destinations on the South Coast at Northampton. I have a copy of the Carriage Working book - it was very complicated, particularly as the railway company providing some of the stock alternated between days. So nothing new up here either!

 

[route101]

It is very helpful if you are visually impaired to know where the toilet roll and the flush are located. Accessible toilets are rather large and cavernous, and the location of such items vary.

Yes, indeed, was a large WC.

 

[SirAlf]

On a train from Crewe to Chester where there aren’t any intermediate stations…
This train is for Chester, we will be calling at Chester, the next stop is Chester

At Chesterfield station…. The next train at platform 1 is the xxxx to Sheffield. A trolley service of drinks and light refreshments is available. Its a 12 minute journey….