Useless announcements (or bits thereof)

[jon0844]

Today I used c2c for the first time in years and noticed that the on-board announcer first says the next stop (when it has started) and then welcomes you on-board, which it does at every station.

What it doesn't do, either on the display OR via voice is do any form of safety announcement and request you look at the safety notices etc.

I thought all trains needed to do this? If not the train itself, the driver.

 

[IanXC]

I think the conductor was bored of announcements on my journey home tonight:

"Welcome on board the 19.10 Northern Rail service to Sheffield, via Doncaster. Calling at Nafferton, Driffield, Hutton Cranswick, Beverley, Cottingham, Hull, and all advertised stations to Sheffield"

Seemed like a good option to me, as I really can't believe there were many on board who were going further than Hull. As it transpired it terminated in Hull anyway... not sure what that was about!

 

[Lampshade]

I think the conductor was bored of announcements on my journey home tonight:

"Welcome on board the 19.10 Northern Rail service to Sheffield, via Doncaster. Calling at Nafferton, Driffield, Hutton Cranswick, Beverley, Cottingham, Hull, and all advertised stations to Sheffield"

I know what you mean. I was travelling from Piccadilly to New Mills Newtown last year and the Guard said:

"Welcome to the 10:52 Northern Rail service to Buxton, calling at Levenshulme...., Heaton Chapel,.... Stockport...., Davenport..., Woodsmoor............, Hazel Grove.............................., places to Buxton."

 

[TGV]

It's not entirely related, but it is kind of. I once boarded a GNER train at Peterborough for Glasgow. The next stop was York. On the platform I overheard a bloke asking someone (not rail staff, another passenger), if this train was for Doncaster. I never heard the rest of the conversation, but I noticed that he was in my carriage just as the train pulled out of the station and the announcement started thus:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome aboard passengers from Peterborough to this XX:XX service to Glasgow central. We will be calling at York..."

Then before he got to "Darlington" this voice from down the carriage shouts out:

"shiiiiiiiiit".

Made me laugh anyway.

 

[jon0844]

I think the conductor was bored of announcements on my journey home tonight:

"Welcome on board the 19.10 Northern Rail service to Sheffield, via Doncaster. Calling at Nafferton, Driffield, Hutton Cranswick, Beverley, Cottingham, Hull, and all advertised stations to Sheffield"

Many FCC drivers think announcements are optional (although most will do the safety bit, as I guess they could get into real trouble for that) but while some announce every station (even with the time of arrival at the last station), others will read out stations where some are missed and then finish with 'and all stations to Z'. Makes more sense, although it could confuse someone that doesn't know the route taken to get to Z! Still, you have to hope that people who have no idea will have done SOME research before boarding.

 

[royaloak]

Still, you have to hope that people who have no idea will have done SOME research before boarding.

Really , people who SHOULD know often get it wrong. Lets be honest if people aren't spoon-fed these days they haven't got a clue!

 

[Nym]

Would be a laugh for the Buxton to Barrow service if he read out all the stations that called at... think the only ones it misses out are Clifton, Kearsley, Farnworth and Moses Gate...

 

[philjo]

Would be a laugh for the Buxton to Barrow service if he read out all the stations that called at... think the only ones it misses out are Clifton, Kearsley, Farnworth and Moses Gate...

The automated announcement on the platform at Church Stretton for the approaching service to Swansea via Heart of Wales line took some time - it announced all stations (many with long names) then listed a lot of them again saying that these were request stops.
Would be even worse at Swansea for the return service, as then the announcement would also be repeated in Welsh!

 

[Aictos]

Travelling on a Cambridge to Norwich service and the guy making the announcements sound so depressed and gloomy..m

 

[jon0844]

Tonight, I was on the 1934 KGX to Letchworth service. Juat after Hadley Wood and before Potters Bar, where we were stopped briefly, the driver informed us that due to signal problems the train would have to skip Welwyn Garden City.

He then said it again a few minutes later, and having noticed we'd been overtaken by the slow service to WGC, he told everyone to alight at Hatfield and use that service (once we got moving we overtook it again).

As we approached Hatfield, he said once more (And believe me, he was speaking loudly into the mic on the 365 - but it was crystal clear. Even if you were listening to an iPod, sleeping or in fact dead, you'd have heard) and said to cross over to platform 4 (3 actually, but close enough!).

At Hatfield, he said to cross over and take the stopper to WGC and that it would be along in a minute (it pulled in as his train left).

I think some of you are probably ahead of me now....

When I exited the station to wait for my bus, there's a guy moaning about the trains not stopping at WGC and that he now had to get a taxi - which he did.

I wonder if he'll write in and complain!

I felt like saying something to him, but I guess he wouldn't have heard me!!

 

[royaloak]

You make it sound as if it is unusual, if some people aren't spoon-fed then they haven't got a clue!

 

[jon0844]

You make it sound as if it is unusual, if some people aren't spoon-fed then they haven't got a clue!

You probably couldn't spoon-feed him as you'd need someone else to force open his mouth first!

 

[Ivo]

One I heard a little while ago was the following at Bath Spa [this was for that Weymouth HST I mentioned]:

"Calling at Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbidge, Westbury and all major stations to Weymouth."

Talk about lazy! But what amuses me is the inclusion of "major". When it stops everywhere if requested to!

 

[The 158 Man]

Even if you were listening to an iPod, sleeping or in fact dead, you'd have heard.

I felt like saying something to him, but I guess he wouldn't have heard me!!

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You make it sound as if it is unusual, if some people aren't spoon-fed then they haven't got a clue!

Even when some people ARE spoon-fed they still don't have a clue! :roll:

 

[krus_aragon]

The automated announcement on the platform at Church Stretton for the approaching service to Swansea via Heart of Wales line took some time - it announced all stations (many with long names) then listed a lot of them again saying that these were request stops.
Would be even worse at Swansea for the return service, as then the announcement would also be repeated in Welsh!

It's even longer for the one train per day that starts at Cardiff. (the 08:09). Oh, and then listing the request stops too.

 

[Any Permitted]

If you go to any of the stations on the GWML going out of London like Hayes & Harlington or Iver then you get HSTs, the HEX, freight trains and 165/6s ripping through the station every minute or so. Most of the time the down fast line shares an island platform with the up slow. Only about half of the trains that come through get a "Please stand clear from the edge of platform X, through train approaching", the other half are a complete surprise. Why bother having these announcements at all, especially when they seem to go off when there isn't a train coming for ages.

Also I know it's not audible annoucements but the stupid, stupid PIDs inside Class 166 Thames Turbos are the most ridiculously pointless PIDs I have ever seen. They can only show 17 characters at a time. If they showed just the stops on the service and the final destination they'd be a bit rubbish but useful but, oh no, they don't. FGW, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to cram the most useless bits of information onto them. So you get:

FIRST GREAT WESTERN
WOULD LIKE TO
APOLOGISE AS
CYCLES CANNOT BE
CARRIED ON SERVICES
DEPARTING PADDINGTON
BETWEEN 0630 AND 1030
AND BETWEEN 1630 AND
1930
PLEASE READ THE
SAFETY INFORMATION
LOCATED BY THE
CARRIAGE DOORS
THIS SERVICE IS FOR
LONDON PADDINGTON
CALLING AT
TWYFORD
MAIDENHEAD
TAPLOW
BURNHAM
SLOUGH
IVER 
LANGLEY
WEST DRAYTON
HAYES
SOUTHALL
EALING BDWY
AND
LONDON PADDINGTON
CHANGE AT
TWYFORD FOR HENLEY
MDNHEAD FOR MARLOW
SLOUGH FOR WNDSOR
HAYES FOR HEATHROW

And so on and so forth ad nauseum. I actually sit there sometimes just getting angry looking at this stupid display telling me stupid information on these stupid trains. But then that's just me.

Still not quite as irritating as "Express TV" on the HEX.

 

[jon0844]

Express TV gives you a quick catch up on the news when you've just arrived in the country, so I think it's more useful from Heathrow to Paddington than the other way around - although the weather forecast and exchange rates is probably useful.

It's certainly worth having and the sound isn't too intrusive. I just wish they'd replace the LCD screens with new ones that have a better viewing angle. They were advanced, for the time, but are pretty hard to see from a lot of seats.

 

[Any Permitted]

Express TV gives you a quick catch up on the news when you've just arrived in the country, so I think it's more useful from Heathrow to Paddington than the other way around - although the weather forecast and exchange rates is probably useful.

It's certainly worth having and the sound isn't too intrusive. I just wish they'd replace the LCD screens with new ones that have a better viewing angle. They were advanced, for the time, but are pretty hard to see from a lot of seats.

I'm of the school of thought that any announcements past "This service is for X, calling at A, B, C, X and Y and scheduled to arrive into X at 00:00" is unnecessary. Taking the HEX between T5 and 1,2&3 is torturous. The whole journey is taken up with a video about travelling on this damned train, it's like the over-long audio announcements but even longer and more irritating. The people are smug then there are stupid travel segments and adverts for bottled water.

The whole system is designed to feel like an airplane but 10 minutes at the start of a 14 hour flight is much less irritating than 10 minutes of a 12 minute journey.

I don't know maybe most people having disembarked from a flight, spent an hour waiting in passport control then another 45 minutes at the baggage caurosel then having to trekking across the airport to pay £25 for a ticket then don't mind having adverts, the news and smug safety notices played at them. For me it's just total overkill.

 

[jon0844]

I happen to think there's quite a lot of useful information on there, from a guide to the terminals and security - to details about taxi sharing for arriving at Paddington.

Add in news, weather and so on - and what's the problem? There's a dedicated quiet coach on every single train too.

Regular users may well be sick of it, but not everyone is a regular traveller. I certainly appreciated the similar system when I was in Hong Kong last year, having not been there since 1997 previously.

 

[LE Greys]

I'm of the school of thought that any announcements past "This service is for X, calling at A, B, C, X and Y and scheduled to arrive into X at 00:00" is unnecessary. Taking the HEX between T5 and 1,2&3 is torturous. The whole journey is taken up with a video about travelling on this damned train, it's like the over-long audio announcements but even longer and more irritating. The people are smug then there are stupid travel segments and adverts for bottled water.

The whole system is designed to feel like an airplane but 10 minutes at the start of a 14 hour flight is much less irritating than 10 minutes of a 12 minute journey.

I don't know maybe most people having disembarked from a flight, spent an hour waiting in passport control then another 45 minutes at the baggage caurosel then having to trekking across the airport to pay £25 for a ticket then don't mind having adverts, the news and smug safety notices played at them. For me it's just total overkill.

Is HEx just one big advert for Heathrow Connect?

I think the real reason for 'Calling at A, B, C & D, and arriving at X is that you can't technically 'call' at a terminus, so it's to satisfy the linguistic rivet counters.