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Arrived in Waterloo from Basingstoke and the guard told everyone to get out their tickets for the barriers and, for those with etickets, to make sure their phones were fully charged.
The latter statement allowed at least a full 3 minutes for that phone charging to occur! As the train was fully equipped with power sockets, an earlier reminder might have been slightly more helpful.
Travelling on Saturday the guard announced the stops and then said that if you were going elsewhere you should look at your ticket as it would tell you where to change.
TfW 197s always announce the upcoming stop in Welsh a couple of minutes before arrival. Then there’s a long pause, and the English announcement is about 30 seconds before, often as you’re pulling into the station, so not giving much time for people to gather their stuff together and get to the doors.
I messaged them about this and the reply was that due to their “bilingual policy” they will always do the Welsh announcement first. So you’re okay if Welsh is your only language .
Something that seems to be getting worse rapidly is the mis-timing of recorded warning announcements to stand back from an approaching fast train - I've lost track of the places where this activates only as the train is passing and continues to repeat as it disappears into the distance. Also, "The approaching fast train does not stop here" - obviously so, if it's a fast train! As with so much of the railway's messaging nowadays it's needlessly wordy.
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Something that seems to be getting worse rapidly is the mis-timing of recorded warning announcements to stand back from an approaching fast train - I've lost track of the places where this activates only as the train is passing and continues to repeat as it disappears into the distance. Also, "The approaching fast train does not stop here" - obviously so, if it's a fast train! As with so much of the railway's messaging nowadays it's needlessly wordy.
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I’m serious. If people don’t plan ahead a little and make sure their phones are adequately charged so they can use their mobile tickets, they’re asking for trouble. Not sure how that could be the guard’s responsibility.
I’m serious. If people don’t plan ahead a little and make sure their phones are adequately charged so they can use their mobile tickets, they’re asking for trouble. Not sure how that could be the guard’s responsibility.
So that those on their laptops know that they have time to compose just one more email, whilst the person sitting next to them is impatient to collect their bags and coat.
I messaged them about this and the reply was that due to their “bilingual policy” they will always do the Welsh announcement first. So you’re okay if Welsh is your only language .
Being English I don't speak Welsh, but living near the border and a very frequent visitor to Wales I have found myself able to cope with the Welsh announcements and I dare say other borders English people can do so as well. I do find the dual language announcements a bit annoying though but would advocate dropping the English ones. One wouldn't expect Welsh announcements in London would you?
Being English I don't speak Welsh, but living near the border and a very frequent visitor to Wales I have found myself able to cope with the Welsh announcements and I dare say other borders English people can do so as well. I do find the dual language announcements a bit annoying though but would advocate dropping the English ones. One wouldn't expect Welsh announcements in London would you?
The prevalence of Welsh-language speakers is only in certain parts of Wales. In many areas they are primarily English-speaking, so dropping the English announcements would upset a lot of Welsh people.
The prevalence of Welsh-language speakers is only in certain parts of Wales. In many areas they are primarily English-speaking, so dropping the English announcements would upset a lot of Welsh people.
TfW 197s always announce the upcoming stop in Welsh a couple of minutes before arrival. Then there’s a long pause, and the English announcement is about 30 seconds before, often as you’re pulling into the station, so not giving much time for people to gather their stuff together and get to the doors.
I messaged them about this and the reply was that due to their “bilingual policy” they will always do the Welsh announcement first. So you’re okay if Welsh is your only language .
Being English I don't speak Welsh, but living near the border and a very frequent visitor to Wales I have found myself able to cope with the Welsh announcements and I dare say other borders English people can do so as well. I do find the dual language announcements a bit annoying though but would advocate dropping the English ones. One wouldn't expect Welsh announcements in London would you?
I do wonder how those that complain about this are going to cope when more and more town and potentially station signs are going to revert to their Welsh names and not the English "translation": "Croeso y Drenewydd" (*) for example.
*(Welcome to Newtown)
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That is the Law in Wales, and I am sorry you can't accept that, but it isn't likely to change anytime soon (or ever).
Well said, John.
I do wonder how those that complain about this are going to cope when more and more town and potentially station signs are going to revert to their Welsh names and not the English "translation": "Croeso y Drenewydd" (*) for example.
*(Welcome to Newtown)
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Agreed, but the Law is that the Welsh will come first.
And as a partial Welsh speaker I applaud that
I do wonder how those that complain about this are going to cope when more and more town and potentially station signs are going to revert to their Welsh names and not the English "translation": "Croeso y Drenewydd" (*) for example.
*(Welcome to Newtown)
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I must admit I am quite happy to to see all place names go to Welsh only.
I have never understood why some were anglicised and others were not. Abertawe (Swansea) for example - but not Aberystwyth.
Probably the daftest one for having a dual name is Wrecsam / Wrexham! I am sure even people with no understanding of Welsh could work out that they are one and the same place!
Hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds could be saved in reduced signage costs both road and rail
I find Welsh placenames convey a lot of more meaning if one ascertains the translation - but then as I trained as a Geography teacher I find placenames rather fascinating. I think for tourists using only Welsh adds to the charm as well.
Pleased to see the National Parks switching to Welsh only for example I have known Eryri as long as I have known it as Snowdonia.
I am even happy to refer to my own home town as Lerpwl!!
However, I will confess part of my ancestry is Cornish so perhaps its the hidden Celt coming out.
Probably the daftest one for having a dual name is Wrecsam / Wrexham! I am sure even people with no understanding of Welsh could work out that they are one and the same place!
It's suggested that Wrexham is from an Old English name, and the '-ham' part certainly supports this - similarly, I've been told that the reason it has to be translated into Welsh is because that language doesn't include the letter 'X'.
As an aside, and if that's true, what is the new name for 'Twitter' in Welsh?
It's suggested that Wrexham is from an Old English name, and the '-ham' part certainly supports this - similarly, I've been told that the reason it has to be translated into Welsh is because that language doesn't include the letter 'X'.
As an aside, and if that's true, what is the new name for 'Twitter' in Welsh?
That is the Law in Wales, and I am sorry you can't accept that, but it isn't likely to change anytime soon (or ever).
Well said, John.
I do wonder how those that complain about this are going to cope when more and more town and potentially station signs are going to revert to their Welsh names and not the English "translation": "Croeso y Drenewydd" (*) for example.
*(Welcome to Newtown)
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Agreed, but the Law is that the Welsh will come first.
And as a partial Welsh speaker I applaud that
The Welsh language policy fails to consider that a significant proportion of the population speak no or limited Welsh, and yet prioritises it at every point.
It's almost like on the M4, messages on variable signage will always be in Welsh first - leaving the majority of drivers unaware of the issue!
Ensuring Welsh is on signage and announcements is good - but prioritising it makes no sense.
Arrived in Waterloo from Basingstoke and the guard told everyone to get out their tickets for the barriers and, for those with etickets, to make sure their phones were fully charged.
The latter statement allowed at least a full 3 minutes for that phone charging to occur! As the train was fully equipped with power sockets, an earlier reminder might have been slightly more helpful.
Do we have to moan at everything railway staff do now?
Surely the people with phones should be responsible to make sure there devices are charged, as others have said it’s a reminder for everyone to have tickets etc ready for the barriers.
I was sat on a crowded LNWR late Saturday afternoon at Euston when shortly before we were about to leave an announcement said "This train requires tickets".
This was then followed with very clear information to check ones ticket as those marked "Avanti only" weren't valid on this train and to check that an advance clearly showed this as being the train it was valid for.
The first stop was Leighton Buzzard and the announcement also mentioned that contactless was not valid on this train.
There hadn't been any ticket check/gateline to board the train yet when the ticket inspector came through there were still two people in the coach I was in who didn't have tickets - not that they had invalid tickets but who hadn't bought a ticket - and bought singles from him to Northampton. A fellow passenger remarked that the speed at which this pair paid up suggested they were going to try and save money by travelling without a ticket, and had probably done it and got away with it before.
It was the "This train requires tickets" announcement that amused me - a very helpful announcement and stating the obvious!
On Sunday afternoon I was on an Avanti from Euston and this time tickets had been checked prior to boarding. Just as we left Euston an announcement said that although tickets had been checked prior to boarding those sitting in the first class and standard premium seats were about to get their ticket checked again to check they were sitting in the correct part of the train - I did notice quite a few people walking through from the FC/SP coaches immediately after this.
A story against myself; once, tired, with cognitive recognition reduced, and getting ready for signs in Welsh I approached the Severn Bridge and thought for a moment that the signs 'MANNED' and 'COINBIN' were both in Welsh with no translation .
Thanks for that.'X' has been used in language for a very long time so do I wonder why it's not included in the alphabet; although in the 'Wrexham' example it probably has its roots in a simplification of "--ck's" But at least it would prevent the - to me - irritating 'Xmas'!
Do we have to moan at everything railway staff do now?
Surely the people with phones should be responsible to make sure there devices are charged, as others have said it’s a reminder for everyone to have tickets etc ready for the barriers.
It's the point of why announce something that the passengers can do nothing about, common sense that the phone needs power (fully charged is not required). But I guess it starts with needing to say something becomes saying too much..
Travelling in 'J' towards end adjacent to standard premium (soon after it was introduced at least) the first intimation of an impending ticket check was passengers moving from S.P. to First. One such unfortunate was a first ticket holding passenger sitting in S.P. who had asked the ticket-checking T.M. about when breakfast would be served - on a down Manchester soon after leaving Macclesfield. That wasn't helped by the fact that, for a long time after S.P. was introduced, the auto announcement at M.K. for an 11 car Pendo said '... .... unreserved .... and First Class in Coach G'.
Do we have to moan at everything railway staff do now?
Surely the people with phones should be responsible to make sure there devices are charged, as others have said it’s a reminder for everyone to have tickets etc ready for the barriers.
It was the completely redundant bit about charging our phones that I found pointless. I'm happy to have the ticket barrier warning. One guard managed to tell us 4 times that Oyster, Contactless and Freedom Passes weren't valid on one service, before we had even started out of Waterloo. I suppose it was my fault for getting on the train too soon.
It was the completely redundant bit about charging our phones that I found pointless. I'm happy to have the ticket barrier warning. One guard managed to tell us 4 times that Oyster, Contactless and Freedom Passes weren't valid on one service, before we had even started out of Waterloo. I suppose it was my fault for getting on the train too soon.
I’m serious. If people don’t plan ahead a little and make sure their phones are adequately charged so they can use their mobile tickets, they’re asking for trouble. Not sure how that could be the guard’s responsibility.
I know - I was jesting about people seemingly not having common sense. The number of announcements needs to be reduced hugely so that the important messages are not diluted as they are now. So many are just the railway trying to protect itsef from liability - for example "do not attempt to board the train when the doors are closing" - has anyone ever heeded that when it comes to the crunch?!
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Yes, but the railway cannot, and should not, instruct or remind passengers about everything in their lives. It is counter-productive because people just 'zone out' or wear headphones/ear-buds to mute the droning (as I do).
lt has to be Wrecsam as the letter 'x' is not within the Welsh alphabet
(C is not within the lcelandic alphabet although it is twice, hard and soft, in the English word for lcelandic)
I know - I was jesting about people seemingly not having common sense. The number of announcements needs to be reduced hugely so that the important messages are not diluted as they are now. So many are just the railway trying to protect itsef from liability - for example "do not attempt to board the train when the doors are closing" - has anyone ever heeded that when it comes to the crunch?!
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Yes, but the railway cannot, and should not, instruct or remind passengers about everything in their lives. It is counter-productive because people just 'zone out' or wear headphones/ear-buds to mute the droning (as I do).
At certain times of the day I'd observe that probably about 75% of travellers are wearing headphones or ear pods of whatever brand is their preference. It rather defeats the object of making any PA announcements at all!
I know - I was jesting about people seemingly not having common sense. The number of announcements needs to be reduced hugely so that the important messages are not diluted as they are now. So many are just the railway trying to protect itsef from liability - for example "do not attempt to board the train when the doors are closing" - has anyone ever heeded that when it comes to the crunch?!
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Yes, but the railway cannot, and should not, instruct or remind passengers about everything in their lives. It is counter-productive because people just 'zone out' or wear headphones/ear-buds to mute the droning (as I do).
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