New voice CIS on SWT

[Kite159]

The PIS at Andover has gone over to the new announcement voice, agreed it sounds very robotic compared to Phil.

Even the "I regret to inform you that this train has been reported full and standing" message doesn't sound right.

 

[RailAleFan]

Try this for a bit of fun to see how your web browser of choice handles text to speech for train service information...

https://live-departures.info/rail/talking-departures/

Initial station view will read out departures in order, click on a service to hear service detail and calling points as you might on a station.

Speech API is very flaky in some browsers and crashes quite easily. Currently location names are passed to the speech API exactly as worded in Darwin - I have been experimenting with "phonetic" replacements but even that doesn't result in cross-browser perfection, for example passing "Redding" to the Speech API in place of "Reading"...

 

[swt class 450]

The PIS at Andover has gone over to the new announcement voice, agreed it sounds very robotic compared to Phil.

Even the "I regret to inform you that this train has been reported full and standing" message doesn't sound right.

Interesting. I wasnt aware that SWT had a new male voice. Does it sound like an actual voice artist or a Text To Speech system? Do you have any recordings?

Try this for a bit of fun to see how your web browser of choice handles text to speech for train service information...

https://live-departures.info/rail/talking-departures/

Initial station view will read out departures in order, click on a service to hear service detail and calling points as you might on a station.

Speech API is very flaky in some browsers and crashes quite easily. Currently location names are passed to the speech API exactly as worded in Darwin - I have been experimenting with "phonetic" replacements but even that doesn't result in cross-browser perfection, for example passing "Redding" to the Speech API in place of "Reading"...

This is interesting. I havent seen this before. The pronounciation of some places does seem quite poor. It seems to just use the standard Google voice. It reminds me a bit of Acapela Rachael.

 

[greaterwest]

Interesting. I wasnt aware that SWT had a new male voice. Does it sound like an actual voice artist or a Text To Speech system? Do you have any recordings?



This is interesting. I havent seen this before. The pronounciation of some places does seem quite poor. It seems to just use the standard Google voice. It reminds me a bit of Acapela Rachael.

I'd assume Kite159 is on about the new female voice, as I was also unaware of a new male voice for the system, and right now every new installation is Global (new) Celia

 

[swt class 450]

I'd assume Kite159 is on about the new female voice, as I was also unaware of a new male voice for the system, and right now every new installation is Global (new) Celia

Ah ok. That makes sense. I assumed he meant Phil Sayer had been replaced by a new male voice. Personally i dont really think the new Celia Drummond recordings sound robotic. It will be strange once all stations are 100% new Celia Drummond announcements. I am so used to having a male voice on one platform and a female voice on the other.

 

[Bungle965]

Ah ok. That makes sense. I assumed he meant Phil Sayer had been replaced by a new male voice. Personally i dont really think the new Celia Drummond recordings sound robotic. It will be strange once all stations are 100% new Celia Drummond announcements. I am so used to having a male voice on one platform and a female voice on the other.

It's not going to be very clear if they are using the same voice to announce different platforms I can see confusion coming about when people cannot understand what the announcement is saying because the one on the opposite platform is announcing a train with the same voice.
Sam

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's not going to be very clear if they are using the same voice to announce different platforms I can see confusion coming about when people cannot understand what the announcement is saying because the one on the opposite platform is announcing a train with the same voice.

That's precisely why they have two voices - it is possible to discern one from the other. So a new male one will be needed. Obviously it would be good to keep Phil Sayer as long as possible, but as soon as something needs adding it won't work any more.

 

[Ibex]

It's not going to be very clear if they are using the same voice to announce different platforms I can see confusion coming about when people cannot understand what the announcement is saying because the one on the opposite platform is announcing a train with the same voice.
Sam

Birmingham New Street is a quality example of this.

 

[greaterwest]

That's precisely why they have two voices - it is possible to discern one from the other. So a new male one will be needed. Obviously it would be good to keep Phil Sayer as long as possible, but as soon as something needs adding it won't work any more.

Phil Sayer is not part of the new system, therefore "keeping him for as long as possible" seems to be coming towards an end.

The new system is also live at Farnborough now, on top of Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport and Andover.

 

[swt class 450]

I think it does indeed make it less confusing when there is a male voice and a female voice. If you have just one voice then it can get confusing when announcements are playing on different platforms at the same time.

Traditionally across the South East we have usually had a male announcer on one platform and a female announcer on the other.

For example:

• Chiltern Railways - Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond
• FGW/GWR - Rodger and Anne
• FGW/GWR - Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond (both now removed)
• Great Northern - Matt and Anne
• South West Trains - Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond
• Southeastern - Mike and Anne
• Southeastern - Roger and Pauline Cavilla (both now removed)
• Southern - Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond
• Thameslink - Matt and Anne

But then most Abellio Greater Anglia / East Midlands Trains / First Trans Pennine Express / London Midland / Northern Rail stations have just one announcer for all platforms. Also on the North Downs Line we have Anne doing all the platforms at each station. And then stations such as East Croydon and Gatwick Airport are the same.

It will be interesting to see if the new Celia Drummond announcements gets installed at London Waterloo station seeing as it is Network Rail managed rather than South West Trains managed.

 

[GW43125]

Traditionally across the South East we have usually had a male announcer on one platform and a female announcer on the other.

Pointless information: stations such as Egham and Chertsey still have Phil on both sides.

 

[swt class 450]

Pointless information: stations such as Egham and Chertsey still have Phil on both sides.

There are a few stations like that. Both Moulsecoomb and Falmer have Phil Sayer on both platforms as well.

Plumpton is an interesting one. It originally had Celia Drummond on P1 and Phil Sayer on P2 (just like Cooksbridge and all the other stations on the line). However a few years ago the announcement system or the speakers on P1 broke (so P1 was left without announcements). After over a year (14 months to be exact) Southern decided that rather then fixing the announcements they would have the speakers on P2 announce all trains on both P1 and P2. So now Phil Sayer announces all trains from the speakers on P2 which i am sure confuses a lot of people. Typical Govia laziness of not fixing things properly.

 

[greaterwest]

Pointless information: stations such as Egham and Chertsey still have Phil on both sides.

Brookwood has Phil on both sides, and he announces individual trains on both platforms!

I believe Hook has Celia on both sides too.

 

[hassaanhc]

Pointless information: stations such as Egham and Chertsey still have Phil on both sides.

As is Hounslow. There is no control for individual platforms there, so announcements are heard at both platforms and in the waiting room/ticket office at the same time. Trains happen to depart both platforms at around the same time past the hour, so they get announced one after the other, sometimes finishing a decent time after one or both trains have departed! Last year the announcements did get changed to Celia's voice for a week or two, but fortunately they got changed back to Phil

 

[Please Explain]

Heard Phil (or his ghost!) loud and clear at Wimbledon last night. -"Mind the gap between the train and the platform, MIND THE GAP!!"

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Aldershot seems to have Celia part time and it's awful.

 

[greaterwest]

Heard Phil (or his ghost!) loud and clear at Wimbledon last night. -"Mind the gap between the train and the platform, MIND THE GAP!!"

I believe Phil is still at Wimbledon as he always has been.

 

[GW43125]

Egham still has Phil, as does Twickenham (on P4/5 at least)