Birmingham New Street - poor platform information

[londonmidland]

With Birmingham New Street being the large size it is, with many platforms and frequent platform alterations, I find the information provided at platform level to be poor.

There are two reasons for this:

1.) Automated announcements were disabled and replaced with infrequent, muffled manual announcements.

A couple of years ago, Network Rail disabled the loud and clear automated announcements here in order to reduce noise pollution. However, this has lead to relying on rather questionable manual announcements, which are often muffled and too quiet to hear properly.

Ironically, platform staff have to shout at the top of their voices to repeat the same information.

2.) Platform alterations are only shown on a single line row, at the bottom of the passenger information screens.

For visuals signs, instead of a it being a full sized message on the passenger information screens, it is displayed as a tiny, single line text message at the bottom. Which takes an age to scroll through the full message.

Because it is so small, this is something a lot of passengers miss when looking for information.

This is something that happens every time I travel through New Street, which is quite frequently.

For such a busy station, as well as it being managed by Network Rail, I would’ve expected better.

What are you thoughts and experience when using Birmingham New Street?

 

[Sporty60]

The last time I used New Street to travel down to Plymouth with XC my train was delayed and so it it's arrival coincided with the Cardiff XC coming into the same platform.
The platform info screen kept changing as to which train was arriving first and as you say the announcements were incoherent.
I think my train came into a different platform at the last minute, but it wasn't great.
I'm off there for the Comm Games twice next week so wish me luck.

 

[J-2739]

Ironically, I tend to find the noise pollution much worse with manual announcements!

 

[londonmidland]

Ironically, I tend to find the noise pollution much worse with manual announcements!

Same here. Not only are they less clear, but they’re also announced globally across the entire station. The automated ones used to only announce it in the relevant areas/platforms.

Talk about a step back.

 

[The exile]

More a general gripe than specific to New Street - but my feeling is that platform departure board screens (not the next departure from this platform, but the “where do I go for my connection?” ones) should always be in pairs with one always displaying “page 1” ( ie the next departures) and the other scrolling between later departures. Nothing more infuriating than having a tight connection and finding the screen/s just switching to “page 2 of 4” before you’ve had a chance to find your train one page 1.

 

[artemic]

I have to say it wasn't entirely their fault given the circumstances, but during the disruption on the 8th I was subjected to the following:

• ~30L inbound XC service is displayed as platform 6 [Despite it not actually being there yet... what is the point of waiting?]
• An LNWR service ex-London is terminated on platform 6
• Presumably at this point an "Oh no" in the control room (1 + 1 = 2?!)
• XC service is duly moved to platform 7A
• Passengers cross the platform to find a two-car TfW 158 for Aberystwyth

Cue some rather confused looks, along with platform staff trying to assure everyone that definitely wasn't our train.

• Announcement that the XC has now been moved to platform 7B as it is pulling into the station

I think the ensuing scene can be left to the imagination...

• Lost opportunity to make up time because the TfW service we are now stuck behind is not scheduled to depart for another 5/10 minutes! (I didn't mind so much, as it made us late enough to claim Delay Repay

Perhaps a little dramatic by my telling, but I had already spent upwards of 2 hours on a 170...

 

[satisnek]

Ironically, I tend to find the noise pollution much worse with manual announcements!

They've never fixed the 'spluttering' distortion on live announcements which makes you feel like you're being covered in spittle. I think it was like this even before the station rebuild.

 

[Peter0124]

One of the problems with the automated announcements back in 2019 was the fact you often heard multiple different train announcements playing at the same time across different platforms. Atleast on the far end of one of the platforms I remember hearing something along the lines of "Wolverhampton, Five Ways, Crewe, University, This train is formed of 5 coaches, Warrington Bank Quay, Selly Oak, Wigan North Western" etc

I would much rather automated announcements than manual ones however if it was possible to have them audible only on that one island platform then that would be better.

 

[edwin_m]

More a general gripe than specific to New Street - but my feeling is that platform departure board screens (not the next departure from this platform, but the “where do I go for my connection?” ones) should always be in pairs with one always displaying “page 1” ( ie the next departures) and the other scrolling between later departures. Nothing more infuriating than having a tight connection and finding the screen/s just switching to “page 2 of 4” before you’ve had a chance to find your train one page 1.

Or failing that just show page 1. Anyone waiting longer than that is probably better doing so in relative comfort upstairs anyway. The screens aren't always easy to find when alighting from an arriving train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One of the problems with the automated announcements back in 2019 was the fact you often heard multiple different train announcements playing at the same time across different platforms. Atleast on the far end of one of the platforms I remember hearing something along the lines of "Wolverhampton, Five Ways, Crewe, University, This train is formed of 5 coaches, Warrington Bank Quay, Selly Oak, Wigan North Western" etc

I would much rather automated announcements than manual ones however if it was possible to have them audible only on that one island platform then that would be better.

The previous system used a male voice for one platform and a female one for another if doing that - the human brain is generally quite good at distinguishing in that case. If they later switched it all to Anne as I think they did I can see the issue.

 

[Peter0124]

The previous system used a male voice for one platform and a female one for another if doing that - the human brain is generally quite good at distinguishing in that case. If they later switched it all to Anne as I think they did I can see the issue.

Yeah, how about they do what Thameslink do and have Matt announce the even numbered platforms and Anne the odd ones. Or something like that.

 

[londonmidland]

The previous system used a male voice for one platform and a female one for another if doing that - the human brain is generally quite good at distinguishing in that case. If they later switched it all to Anne as I think they did I can see the issue.

Correct. Previously it was a male voice called Matt, however, I believe he changed roles or something so they made all platforms Anne.

They could do with a new male voice to go alongside Anne.

That would be a lot better compared to how it is now, with the barely audible and incredibly muffled manual announcements.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2022 ==

I would much rather automated announcements than manual ones however if it was possible to have them audible only on that one island platform then that would be better.

I suggested to reduce the number of announcements by only announcing services as the train arrived into the station, as opposed to how it was set up before, which went like this:

Announcement 1 (next train) - The next train to arrive at platform...
Announcement 2 (approaching platform) - Platform x for the (time) (TOC) to (destination) (preferred choice)
Announcement 3 (train standing in platform) - The train at platform x is the...

However, it seems they went all out and removed all of them completely, which was a bad decision in my opinion.

 

[Agent_Squash]

Correct. Previously it was a male voice called Matt, however, I believe he changed roles or something so they made all platforms Anne.

If it's the same Matt used on GTR, he most definitely is still in rail (and still in charge of TL/GN onboard PIS!). There's really no reason to get rid of him...

 

[weepingwillowb]

More seats on the platforms, please, or just somewhere to rest your behind on.

 

[londonmidland]

If it's the same Matt used on GTR, he most definitely is still in rail (and still in charge of TL/GN onboard PIS!). There's really no reason to get rid of him...

Sorry, not matt. I meant Andrew aka the 'auto Brummie guy'

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, it seems they went all out and removed all of them completely, which was a bad decision in my opinion.

A "silent station" trial was done at Manc Picc ages ago but it was reversed for accessibility reasons - all very well to say "read the displays" but a blind person can't. Surprised they've tried again.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2022 ==

Sorry, not matt. I meant Andrew aka the 'auto Brummie guy'

I was thinking of Phil and Celia, but yes, you're right, there was the Brummie guy on the newer Worldline system.

 

[Peter0124]

I suggested to reduce the number of announcements by only announcing services as the train arrived into the station, as opposed to how it was set up before, which went like this:

Announcement 1 (next train) - The next train to arrive at platform...
Announcement 2 (approaching platform) - Platform x for the (time) (TOC) to (destination) (preferred choice)
Announcement 3 (train standing in platform) - The train at platform x is the...

However, it seems they went all out and removed all of them completely, which was a bad decision in my opinion.

Yes good idea, also going with the Matt/Anne idea, dont allow more than one of each persons announcement to play at the same time. So the most you will hear is both Anne and Matt at the same time. But not allow multiple Anne announcements or Matt announcements to play simultaneously if you get what I mean.

 

[londonmidland]

A "silent station" trial was done at Manc Picc ages ago but it was reversed for accessibility reasons - all very well to say "read the displays" but a blind person can't. Surprised they've tried again.

I'm surprised this has been allowed to happen again. Surely this discriminates for persons of visuals impairments? The CIS on the platforms have very small font as it is, due to the small size of the displays.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2022 ==

Yes good idea, also going with the Matt/Anne idea, dont allow more than one of each persons announcement to play at the same time.

Normally the P.A would only sound based on the position of said train, however for some reason, the way it was set up at New Street was that the 'next train' announcement would always sound at the same/near same time, on multiple platforms. Almost like the system had come out of sleep mode or something.

More shambles this afternoon. The 12:15 Edinburgh and the delayed 12:04 Liverpool were due in at the same time on the same platform until a last minute platform alteration.

The issue was the automated announcement that announced the platform alteration was super quiet, followed by a muffled manual announcement.

It doesn’t help that trains arrive unannounced, so several people ask ‘Is this the X train?’ to the platform dispatchers whilst they’re dealing with assisted travel pax.

I can’t help but think that they don’t make it easy for themselves at times.