"Crayford, this is Crayford"

[TheJRB]

Southeastern do that too. At Ramsgate, you get (for example):

"The train now approaching Platform 3 terminates here. This train is the service from Faversham."

That's because in all likelihood, the Southeastern system with voices of Pauline Cavilla and Roger is the same as the Southern system with Phil and Celia. They pretty much use all the same phrases.

 

[WillPS]

Another thing I noted on my SouthEastern voyage was that the announcements at London Bridge are done by *both* the male and female version of the announcer used at all NR and EMT stations - the male does the SouthEastern platforms, female does the FCC/Southern platform ones. The really weird bit comes when they get to the looping "24hr CCTV recording is in operation at this station..." as you can hear both speaking together!

 

[Holly]

The use of the phrase "This is" is a throwback to the days when ferries were owned and run by railways. Maritime radio procedure strictly required "<vessel name> This is <vessel name>" is certain contexts and the practice spread from there to quayside stations and railways generally.

Repeating keywords with a well-known and invariant filler interposed was commonly adopted as a way to increase the chance that the listener catches the key-word even in a noisy and dynamic environment. In any transmission or announcement, the word most likely to be missed is the first word spoken and that is why it is good practice to repeat it later.

 

[tsr]

Another thing I noted on my SouthEastern voyage was that the announcements at London Bridge are done by *both* the male and female version of the announcer used at all NR and EMT stations - the male does the SouthEastern platforms, female does the FCC/Southern platform ones. The really weird bit comes when they get to the looping "24hr CCTV recording is in operation at this station..." as you can hear both speaking together!

Yep, I noticed that when I went between the platforms in the summer whilst looking for a train which was going through the enthralling process of having its platform altered.

One thing that always amuses me a little at Redhill station - trust me, there's very little to get amused about - is the announcement "Please stand clear while the trains are being detached" (or attached), which is repeated three times in very quick succession - almost without pausing for breath, so to speak. All the passengers along the platform waiting for the doors to reopen promptly stand back in mock trepidation as the train moves its perilous few inches either away from the other one or towards it.