Onboard Train Announcements - How Should they be?

[Charlie M.]

Hello all.

Recently, I've been thinking how train announcements should be. Can you help me?

Thanks.

 

[Domh245]

Audible?

 

[RailAleFan]

More to the point, no contractions and less wordy than Virgin's!

"Today, we'll be travelling to ..."

 

[AlterEgo]

There should be as few as possible.

 

[PHILIPE]

No nanny state announcements.

 

[Bletchleyite]

More to the point, no contractions and less wordy than Virgin's!

"Today, we'll be travelling to ..."

I quite like the radio-presenter-style "bantering" in those - it works quite well. Takes the "conversational" approach of using two voices used on e.g. LU S-stock to the next level.
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No nanny state announcements.

Agreed. Those are worthless. Put them on a poster and forget about them.

If you were leaving luggage somewhere for nefarious purposes you wouldn't exactly pay attention.

 

[47271]

They shouldn't be like the automated din I was subjected to on a Northern 319 on a stopping service between Liverpool and Wigan the other day. A load of chat about buying a ticket after we left every station, and a big build up before arrived at the next one. At some points it seemed like the announcements were continuous in the short gaps between stops, it made for a quite an irritating experience.

 

[J-2739]

Depends on the announcements; trains down south really do it right with the likes of Julie Berry, Celia Drummond etc.. They have more of a charming and natural voice. Up north, the announcements are mono toned, spaced out, dated, and feel unfinished (especially TPE 185s).

(#400)

 

[RJ21]

Short, straight to the point, no stupid blah blah which goes on for ten minutes like the time an announcement went on from Manchester Picc to Stockport on a XC service.

 

[LLivery]

Like South West Trains - gets to the point and doesn't go on and on. Southern's on the hand are just too much.

 

[RJ21]

Oh, and the occasional bit of humour never hurts. Security services removing unattended items battering and deep frying them was quite funny.

 

[J-2739]

Oh, and the occasional bit of humour never hurts. Security services removing unattended items battering and deep frying them was quite funny.

What service was that?

 

[sciisfun]

done by a human, Don't mind after that, although a bit funny is always good

 

[RJ21]

It was a Northern service into Picc a couple of years ago first thing on a Saturday morning, we were also reminded to take all our belonging with us including all children, chickens and goats.

 

[DasLunatic]

"Welcome on board this (insert TOC here) service to (destination). This train will call at (calling points) and is due into (destination) at (arrival time). Safety notices can be found throughout the train - please take time to look at them throughout the journey".

 

[Charlie M.]

"Welcome on board this (insert TOC here) service to (destination). This train will call at (calling points) and is due into (destination) at (arrival time). (If avaliable Weelchair access is avaliable in Coach (?) Catering is avaliable in Coach (Whatever). And information can be found on displays around you.".

 

[DasLunatic]

I was assuming this was for a commuter service, hence no catering info. Disabled sections of a train are usually marked from the outside, meaning there is no need to state this in the announcement.

 

[Hadders]

These should do the trick:

'Welcome aboard the (TOC name) service to XXXX, calling at aaa,bbb,ccc and ddd'

'The next station is aaa'

'We are now approaching xxx where this train terminates. Please make sure you take all your belongings with you when you leave the train. Thank you for travelling with us today'

'This train terminates here. All change please.'

 

[Sod]

"Less is more" would seem to me to be the mantra here - short and sweet announcements which will hold the passengers' (sorry, should I be saying "customers'"?)attention.

Incidentally, why is a train always described as "arriving into" a station? What did an innocent preposition do to merit such abuse?

 

[TheEscapist_]

Announcements in other languages would be good on intercity routes that carry lots of tourists. French or German maybe.


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[F Great Eastern]

These should do the trick:

'Welcome aboard the (TOC name) service to XXXX, calling at aaa,bbb,ccc and ddd'

'The next station is aaa'

'We are now approaching xxx where this train terminates. Please make sure you take all your belongings with you when you leave the train. Thank you for travelling with us today'

'This train terminates here. All change please.'

Commuter / Rural

After departing:
<TOC Name> Welcomes you to this <destination> service, calling at <list>.

Before arriving
We will shortly be arriving at <name> - Please change here for <list> Please take all of your personal belongings with you when leaving the train. Thank you for traveling with <TOC>

When Arriving:
This is <name>

Terminus:
We whill shortly be arriving at <name> where this train terminates. Please take all of your personal belongings with you when leaving the train. Thank you for traveling with <TOC>

What we shouldn't have

Before Arriving:
We will shortly be arriving at <name> Metro Newspapers and National Express are working together to create a clean environment, please remember to take your newspapers and place them in the bins provided. Please remember to take all of your personal belongings with you when leaving the train. Please change here for services to <list>

The above was head wrecking, in some cases the train had already left before the change information was broadcast, as we had to put that great big ad before instead.

Also a ban on all of those annoying separate catering announcements, and the "A catering announcement will follow shortly" crap.

 

[boyaloud]

At least Virgin's nightmarish BING-BONG at 3000dB has finally gone!

 

[Clip]

I was assuming this was for a commuter service, hence no catering info. Disabled sections of a train are usually marked from the outside, meaning there is no need to state this in the announcement.

So how would a blind or partially sighted person notice this?

 

[greaterwest]

At least Virgin's nightmarish BING-BONG at 3000dB has finally gone!

This still exists on Southern services, and the 442s (as we found out on the farewell railtour!)

What a horrible noise.

 

[pne]

Why even mention the "Please take all personal belongings with you"?

 

[185143]

It was a Northern service into Picc a couple of years ago first thing on a Saturday morning, we were also reminded to take all our belonging with us including all children, chickens and goats.

I know exactly who said that! He is a forum member. (And not me, I don't work on the railway (yet))

 

[edwin_m]

So how would a blind or partially sighted person notice this?

A wheelchair passenger can't pass through the train, they will need to board by the correct door so an announcement once on board the train is pointless. A visually impaired wheelchair passenger will need assistance to find the door (but all wheelchair passengers need ramp assistance anyway). A blind passenger not in a wheelchair can board anywhere as a 2020-compliant train will have the necessary facilities in every coach.

 

[cuccir]

If you're travelling in the Tees Valley, you'll find that the answer to the question is often "rhyming"

Some people may quickly run out of steam when it comes to poetry, but Northern Rail train conductor Graham Palmer is always on the right track when delivering on-train announcements in rhyming couplet form.

Graham - brought up in Marske but now living in Skelton - likes to freshen up his safety and information announcements with a quirky selection of self-penned couplets. And passengers are so chuffed with the way he brightens their journeys, he’s been nominated for one of the company’s internal Price of Northern awards

...

Examples of Graham’s poetry:
At the start of the journey.....

I’m Graham your conductor and welcome on track
Safety information’s at front and back
Keep all your personal belongings in view
As you don’t want anything missing, do you?

Have your tickets and passes ready to see
And if you have neither, you’ll have to pay me
If you’re buying a ticket, please have the right money
Cos my tea’s going cold and it’s simply not funny

And at the end of the journey......

Thank you for travelling on Northern with Graham
Please use the handrails when you step from the train
If you’re making connections, consult platform screens
Or ask station staff if there’s any to be seen

Keep your tickets and passes to exit the gate
Cos any delay and you’ll be in late
Tell Northern Rail Twitter how it was for you
Cos we value your feedback, yes we really do!

 

[glbotu]

If you're travelling in the Tees Valley, you'll find that the answer to the question is often "rhyming"

I've had Graham on a Saltburn - Newcastle from Durham, he's pretty great (actually, the standard of Northern Guard announcements on that service is always pretty good, given how horribly overcrowded the service frequently is).

Actually, something I really like, especially on intercity services is the announcement of connections. It's really useful.

Ladies and Gentlemen we will now be arriving at [insert station here].

Next train to [XX] will be the [XX;XX] service, departing from platform [X]
...
...

Thank you for travelling with [XX] today, we hope you enjoyed your journey etc.

I've a few VTEC guards do it and they do it all the time in Italy.

 

[Spankthemonkey]

"Welcome on board this (insert TOC here) service to (destination). This train will call at (calling points) and is due into (destination) at (arrival time). Safety notices can be found throughout the train - please take time to look at them throughout the journey".

isn't the whole "read the safety notices" thing a dft requirement too after big stations?
Announcements have a boy cried wolf element to them. If the guard waffles on and on after every stop about who he/she is, what sort of train and TOC it is, calling points, facilities including toilets catering and first class, safety notices, ticket restrictions, connections etc etc then passengers won't be listening when he actually has something very important to say.
Keep the performance short and sweet, keep 'em wanting more.