Ah I see. I'll have to try and send a text to someone without an iphone.
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LU Lines: See it, say it, sorted
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I also think it’s a bit cheeky that many mobile networks charge for 61016 texts, so be aware of that! That’s another reason I email them!
FormerBritInMe
Member
There is also WhatsApp for sending messages over WiFi
A bit like calling 101 then. Saw some suspicious behaviour near where I live a couple of years ago and called 101 (not serious enough for 999). Ended up being charged £2 or so for troubling them. Won't fall for that again....
The government agreed funding for 101 so it is no longer charging since April 2020.
Not to 61016 though.
As a side note, WhatsApp is the trainline.com of messaging services — used by those who don't realise the shady business practices. Signal does the same thing but without being problematic.
Egg Centric
Established Member
Indeed, I can't text them because I'm on SMARTY. Also can't text quite a few companies who e.g. message me for surveys etc. Not sure if they know about these restrictions or not.
Please do not get SMARTY btw. Am only on them because of inertia.
Not exactly - it's also used by those of us who need to contact others who only use WhatsApp and thus it's my go-to even though I have Signal as well. The most amusing is Telegram (which I also have) as for some reason people seem to think it's more secure than WhatsApp... by default it's quite the opposite!
PS are you/were you a simsigger with a similar handle? Fond memories of Aaron's KGX games with mandatory rants about the content creators
Yup, but the only way that will maybe eventually change is by making the distinction visible!
Yeah, Telegram is not a good service for anyone to consider using.
Mikey C
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It's clearly programmed in the software to automatically play, as I've worked out now that going south the message is played when approaching Belsize Park, and Goodge Street...
It’s now on the 1992 stock also! Played at an extremely loud volume it actually made me jump given I’m in the carriage all by myself and it was an unusual male voice.
bakerstreet
Member
Once you’ve experienced it a few times do let us know if it’s at specific stations (eg on Northern line it plays at Belsize Pk and Goodge St - probably others too - but always those stations) rather than at random or after a certain time period
busestrains
On Moderation
I have only just seen this post now but if you are still interested i have attached all ten of the Michael Meech recordings. They are attached as mp3 files.There used to be - I think - a chap called Michael Meech, a legend for a number of reasons - he’d been with London Transport for years and was the voice of syndicated travel news back when this was supplied directly from LT itself.
I cannot find his announcements but TfL recently refused an FOI (not from me) and they appear to have been removed in the mid 2010s
Michael Meech automated announcements. - a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London
Hello sir/madam. Under the Freedom Of Information Act i would like to request you to please send me the automated announcements files of all Michael Meech automated announcements (which have now all been removed in 2016). You can send them to me in mp3 files or whatever type of sound file is...www.whatdotheyknow.com
Here’s a forum thread from the time
New Jubilee Line Announcements
Has the Michael Meech "all change, please," "thank you for travelling on the Jubilee line" and "please keep your personal belongings with you at all times" been removed now? Or re-recorded with Celia? Rerecorded with Celia fortunately Do we know that for certain? While I have heard the new...www.railforums.co.uk
It was 2016 when his announcements were removed. He was replaced by new recordings that Celia Drummond did.
I actually really liked announcements. He was one of my favourite male voices. He was only used for special announcements but was very effective as his voice definitely got you to listen. It was disappointing he was removed.
bramling
Veteran Member
I really liked these, and they were actually rather good at catching attention.
The original male voice on the Piccadilly Line was quite good as well. I believe it was voiced by a train operator. No one seems to have managed to track down any recordings of this.
busestrains
On Moderation
Michael Meech was certainly a great voice. He was just the right kind of voice that you wanted to get peoples attention while also sounding pleasant and cheerful. I remember him from the BBC many years ago.
Yes i remember those Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock old announcements. Those were very early automated announcements. I believe that the driver had to press a button and enter a code at each stop to play the relevant announcement. As a result lots of drivers did not bother playing it. Not surprising really as entering a code at every stop and between every stop while also driving the train must have been very annoying.
He was a driver called Nick from Arnos Grove depot. He was certainly still working there in 2014 but i am not sure if he is still there today. He may well still be a driver there. Unfortunately i can not find a single recording of his announcements anywhere.
Tim Bentinck was another male voice used. Julie Berry and Tim Bentinck voiced the platform announcements at all Piccadilly Line stations for many years from the mid 1990s to until the mid 2000s when Elinor Hamilton replaced them both. I think that it used to be Julie Berry announcing trains towards Cockfosters and Tim Bentinck announcing trains towards Heathrow and Uxbridge or vice versa. So they would be on opposite platforms.
Dr_Paul
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I had a couple of short journeys on the London Underground, the Northern Line, today, my first trip on the Underground for some months, and to my dismay each time we had the dreaded 'sorted' announcement over the train speakers. Is there nowhere on a train where we don't get subjected to it?
The only time I recall a disliked announcement getting discontinued was the one on London buses that advised to hold on tight as the bus was about to move off: it usually didn't commence until the bus had moved off well away from the stop. I have a feeling that this won't happen with the 'sorted' one.
The only time I recall a disliked announcement getting discontinued was the one on London buses that advised to hold on tight as the bus was about to move off: it usually didn't commence until the bus had moved off well away from the stop. I have a feeling that this won't happen with the 'sorted' one.
busestrains
On Moderation
Here is a full list of all of the locations where these new "See It Say It Sort It" announcements play:
BAKERLOO:
• Regents Park
• Wembley Central
CENTRAL:
• Bond Street
• Greenford
• Newbury Park
• West Acton
• Woodford
CIRCLE:
• Bayswater
• Euston Square
• Shepherds Bush Market
• Temple
DISTRICT:
• Bayswater
• Bromley By Bow
• Temple
• Turnham Green
• Upminster Bridge
• Wimbledon Park
HAMMERSMITH & CITY:
• Bromley By Bow
• Euston Square
• Shepherds Bush Market
JUBILEE:
~NONE~
METROPOLITAN:
• Chorleywood
• Euston Square
• Northwick Park
NORTHERN:
• Archway
• Belsize Park
• Borough
• Goodge Street
• Clapham North
PICCADILLY:
• Gloucester Road
• Hatton Cross
• Sudbury Town
• Wood Green
VICTORIA:
~NONE~
WATERLOO & CITY:
~NONE~
So the Jubilee and Victoria and Waterloo & City lines are the only ones left without any of these annoying "See It Say It Sort It" announcements. However TFL have said they have plans to add them to the Jubilee and Victoria lines soon. But it seems that the Waterloo & City line will not get them.
BAKERLOO:
• Regents Park
• Wembley Central
CENTRAL:
• Bond Street
• Greenford
• Newbury Park
• West Acton
• Woodford
CIRCLE:
• Bayswater
• Euston Square
• Shepherds Bush Market
• Temple
DISTRICT:
• Bayswater
• Bromley By Bow
• Temple
• Turnham Green
• Upminster Bridge
• Wimbledon Park
HAMMERSMITH & CITY:
• Bromley By Bow
• Euston Square
• Shepherds Bush Market
JUBILEE:
~NONE~
METROPOLITAN:
• Chorleywood
• Euston Square
• Northwick Park
NORTHERN:
• Archway
• Belsize Park
• Borough
• Goodge Street
• Clapham North
PICCADILLY:
• Gloucester Road
• Hatton Cross
• Sudbury Town
• Wood Green
VICTORIA:
~NONE~
WATERLOO & CITY:
~NONE~
So the Jubilee and Victoria and Waterloo & City lines are the only ones left without any of these annoying "See It Say It Sort It" announcements. However TFL have said they have plans to add them to the Jubilee and Victoria lines soon. But it seems that the Waterloo & City line will not get them.
There are no stations where "See It Say It Sort It" announcements play.
They play on the trains at those locations.
There are also no "See It Say It Sort It" announcements on trains.
Mikey C
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Yes there are. As per the list above. And it's ******* annoying!
You know what was meant. We all know it’s “sorted” and not “sort it”. No need to be pedantic.
I thought a meticulous list of stations was already far into pedantry!
madjack
Member
Also Hyde Park Corner. Not heard it at Gloucester Road.
lokiavivson
Member
When were they added to the Bakerloo and Subsurface lines? I know that they were first added to the Northern line in May 2022 after the Bank branch between Moorgate and Kennington reopened, then to the Piccadilly line after Heathrow Terminal 4 reopened in June 2022 and the Central line after Bond Street Elizabeth line station opened in October 2022
I've no idea why this tedious nonsense has to be done on the tube at all, we seemed to survive perfectly well without it for the preceding 160 years, but the way they've chosen to do it is particularly irritating. It seems to be significantly louder and far more distracting than any of the other announcements.
I suppose I'm going to have to start wearing headphones on the tube now too. Wonderful. I've no idea why the people in charge appear so determined to make travelling by train/tube as unpleasant as possible, but they're doing a very good job of it.
So much for Grant Shapps and his campaign to cut out irritating announcements, which seems to have been about as successful as everything else Shapps has tried to do.
I suppose I'm going to have to start wearing headphones on the tube now too. Wonderful. I've no idea why the people in charge appear so determined to make travelling by train/tube as unpleasant as possible, but they're doing a very good job of it.
So much for Grant Shapps and his campaign to cut out irritating announcements, which seems to have been about as successful as everything else Shapps has tried to do.
They were added at the same as the Lizzie line interchange announcements shortly after that opened
bramling
Veteran Member
I’ve been suspecting for some while that elements of this government have been spending their time laughing at the population, and stuff like the Hancock texts essentially confirms this. One can only consider that these excruciatingly annoying announcements are another facet of this. Full marks to the small handful of drivers who hit the PA button at the right moment to stop the message.
I completely agree with your post; I certainly find the added volume of these messages causes me discomfort.
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Dr_Paul
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I don't know why we have to have this slogan dinned into us on national rail services either. It gets right up my nose. As I wrote elsewhere on this site, I saw 'something that looks unusual' not so long back: a couple of 455s on a Reading service. But I doubt whether the BTP would relish my calling them on their special number to tell them that.
Mikey C
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Announcements on the Tube are nothing to do with the government.
bramling
Veteran Member
This one absolutely is.
The DFT supplied the sound file, and specified that it should be broadcast half-hourly. With the limitations of their train systems, LU has crudely complied with this specification by bolting it on to the station messages at specific stations.
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