When will excessive announcements cease?

[zwk500]

They need to organise announcements so that people learn to tune in and out appropriately.

• Urgent/emergency announcements: male voice "attention please!"
• Cancellations/platform alterations/service alteration: male voice "may I have your attention please!"
• Facilities announcements (e.g., no catering/reservations/short-formed train): female voice "train announcer calling!"
• All other announcements: female voice, no preceding phrase.

Why the male/female split, out of interest? I'd personally keep splits in the voice type to zoning, either directionally or different islands.

I'd instead use different tones:
- Arpeggio-style fanfare, with 'This is an urgent announcement for passengers on platform x' for really urgent stuff. This would be 1st announcement of cancellations, alterations, or emergencies
- Then major 3rd/triad upwards with 'Passengers on Platform X, please be advised...' for repeats of the above instructions or instructions to stand clear
- Major 3rd/triad downwards with 'This is a customer information announcement:' for everything else automated.
'platform x' could be replaced with 'passengers waiting for the XX.XX to London' or similar as appropriate.

Why on earth would anyone start an announcement with “Train announcer calling!” What a weird way to open an announcement.

Because the poster thinks the railways reached perfection in 1953?

 

[Matt_pool]

I've noticed that Northern have changed the automated announcements on the 195's. You still get the usual garbage, such as "don't forget to take your personal belongings with you", but when approaching Mossley Hill in south Liverpool the announcement goes something along the lines of:

"The next stop is Mossley Hill, if you are alighting here please move to the front of the train due to the short platform".

It isn't a short platform! It's always been able to fit in up to 4 carriages (e.g. 2 x 156's coupled together, or 2 x 2 carriage 195's coupled together)!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why the male/female split, out of interest? I'd personally keep splits in the voice type to zoning, either directionally or different islands.

There's a view in aviation that in the human psychology (both sexes) male voices are better at giving brusque, urgent commands (e.g. "pull up, pull up") and female ones at giving information, hence both are used.

It's also used on the London Underground S-stock, where you have an almost "bantery" format thus:

M: Please mind the gap between the train and platform
F: This is <station>. This is a Hammersmith and City Line train to....

 

[Horizon22]

The old Thales system that was used at the ELL core stations was perfect. It was designed for a frequent metro service. It just simply told you how many minutes until the train and where the train was going. That was it. It did not mention the time of the train or the operator of the train or the stops that it will be calling at. So this old Thales system was perfectly designed for the ELL core stations with a frequent metro service. Unfortunately they have switched to the Atos Worldline system which is not set up for the frequent metro service that the ELL core has. So the announcements these days are too long for these stations with such a frequent service.

You can still have countdown timers at a station using the Wordline system instead of usual departure times. It is just a setting.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Dec 2022 ==

They need to organise announcements so that people learn to tune in and out appropriately.

• Urgent/emergency announcements: male voice "attention please!"
• Cancellations/platform alterations/service alteration: male voice "may I have your attention please!"
• Facilities announcements (e.g., no catering/reservations/short-formed train): female voice "train announcer calling!"
• All other announcements: female voice, no preceding phrase.

In theory that isn't too terrible - although I'm not sure about "train announcer calling", might be better as "Service Information..." Although the use of tones and chimes could also do the job.

However in "all other announcements" there are recorded announcements, many of whom are done by railway staff and you can't gurantee the gender of that individual.

 

[WAB]

Why the male/female split, out of interest? I'd personally keep splits in the voice type to zoning, either directionally or different islands.

As @Bletchleyite said, the urgency of male voices as opposed to female voices.

- Major 3rd/triad downwards with 'This is a customer information announcement:' for everything else automated.

Sounds good. Would probably not bother with any chimes for pre-recorded repeated messages.

However in "all other announcements" there are recorded announcements, many of whom are done by railway staff and you can't gurantee the gender of that individual.

The cadence of manual announcements is different so could easily be filtered out as background noise, so no need to worry about gender. This would be reinforced by no leading phrase.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Birmingham New St used to, with the old system, have a different tone for manual announcements, it was a Ditra style ascending "bong beng bang bing" for automatic ones and a "bing bong" for manual ones. Differentiated quite well.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Birmingham New St used to, with the old system, have a different tone for manual announcements, it was a Ditra style ascending "bong beng bang bing" for automatic ones and a "bing bong" for manual ones. Differentiated quite well.

Automated was split too.

Ding dong ding - Celia (3 tones)
Ding dong ding ding - Phil and SWT/SWR staff recorded messages re. engineering work or disruption (4 tones)

Ferrograph displays also had a separate “caution” sound for passing trains, platform alterations and corrections such as a change in order to which train arrives first at a platform.

 

[busestrains]

Birmingham New St used to, with the old system, have a different tone for manual announcements, it was a Ditra style ascending "bong beng bang bing" for automatic ones and a "bing bong" for manual ones. Differentiated quite well.

Automated was split too.

Ding dong ding - Celia (3 tones)
Ding dong ding ding - Phil and SWT/SWR staff recorded messages re. engineering work or disruption (4 tones)

Ferrograph displays also had a separate “caution” sound for passing trains, platform alterations and corrections such as a change in order to which train arrives first at a platform.

I remember that. On the Southern Rail network they did that too and had two separate chimes to differentiate the female voice (Celia Drummond) announcements and male voice (Phil Sayer) announcements. I miss these old jingles.

 

[urbophile]

Slight tangent I suppose. However I'd be interested to know if anyone has encountered this elsewhere: seen on the platform indicator at Liverpool Central on Merseyrail. My pedantic soul bristles when I read "The next service on this platform is not in service." If it's not in service it's not a service, by definition. Whats wrong with saying 'the next train...'? I can just about tolerate 'service' in place of 'train' when it is short for 'train service', although 'train' would make more sense in all contexts. Why this perverse insistence of the railway in pretending the vehicles it runs are not trains?

 

[zwk500]

Slight tangent I suppose. However I'd be interested to know if anyone has encountered this elsewhere: seen on the platform indicator at Liverpool Central on Merseyrail. My pedantic soul bristles when I read "The next service on this platform is not in service." If it's not in service it's not a service, by definition. Whats wrong with saying 'the next train...'? I can just about tolerate 'service' in place of 'train' when it is short for 'train service', although 'train' would make more sense in all contexts. Why this perverse insistence of the railway in pretending the vehicles it runs are not trains?

The train is the collection of vehicles, the service is the advertised times to which it runs. I agree with you that 'the next train at this platform is not in public service' would be better, but a service can be a departmental service or operational service as well as a passenger service.

 

[Dr_Paul]

[Moved posting re the dreaded 'sorted' announcements now cropping up on the Northern Line to the requisite London Transport page.]

 

[urbophile]

The train is the collection of vehicles, the service is the advertised times to which it runs. I agree with you that 'the next train at this platform is not in public service' would be better, but a service can be a departmental service or operational service as well as a passenger service.

Or even on Secret Service I suppose. It reminds me of on-train announcements saying 'the next station stop' instead of 'the next station' or 'the next stop'. Pedantically accurate, but since the end of slam door trains, even if the train stops at an unscheduled station or in the middle of a field there is little chance of anyone disembarking by mistake.

 

[zwk500]

Or even on Secret Service I suppose. It reminds me of on-train announcements saying 'the next station stop' instead of 'the next station' or 'the next stop'. Pedantically accurate, but since the end of slam door trains, even if the train stops at an unscheduled station or in the middle of a field there is little chance of anyone disembarking by mistake.

To me, 'the next station' is fine, 'the next stop' feels a little bit informal. The fact there may be several stations that are not stopped at is immaterial to the service on which the announcement is made.

 

[Scott1]

To me, 'the next station' is fine, 'the next stop' feels a little bit informal. The fact there may be several stations that are not stopped at is immaterial to the service on which the announcement is made.

Its all human announcements on my patch, some stay stop or station, some will go with "now approaching","this is" or "shortly arriving at". I like the variety personally, reminds you that a person is doing the announcement. Where it is automated I'm a fan of simplicity, a simple chime, the name of the station, and then, if required, "exit from coaches A, B, C only due to a short platform".

 

[Runningaround]

I'm surprised so many contributors to this thread take enough notice on what is actually said on all announcements including the bong they make and can recall those made years ago are you more in tune to them due to your level of interest in the railways and trains?. You see it with exited children at events who take in everything and attempt to miss nothing

They are clearly doing their job on some passengers, or perhaps if the railway wants to test the effectiveness of it's messages they should use a broader section of society than those employed by themselves and those interested in trains

 

[TUC]

Yes, that's following the death of a visually impaired gent in London who became disorientated and fell under the train he was planning to catch.

It's being rolled out everywhere but in the meantime you get those announcements where it isn't present. They're annoying but in this case they do follow on from a very unfortunate accident.

RAIB report linked here:

Report 01/2021: Person struck by a train at Eden Park station

RAIB has today released its report into a person struck by a train at Eden Park station, south-east London, 26 February 2020.

www.gov.uk

They are only useful to visually impaired people if they specifically say which platforms do or do not have tactile paving. Otherwise, it's just the rail industry pretending to have 'done something' whilst not actually doing anything of any help whatsoever.

 

[Tracked]

On my early morning walks - if working from home - I sometimes go past Bentley (S. Yorks) station, despite no trains calling there until 06:02 I've often heard them announce "stand clear of the platform, fast train approaching" at 5am, to an empty station ... They're at a lower volume than during the day, probably a good thing considering the houses nearby, but a bit pointless.

 

[High Dyke]

Sleaford station yesterday went through a plethora of announcements regarding trains (or lack of), weather conditions, and safety and security. Not that there were any passengers to hear them.

 

[Evelynm]

What about at stations? "please hold the handrail and take care on the stairs" grrrrr!

 

[Welly]

I've noticed that Northern have changed the automated announcements on the 195's.

I was using a Northern 195 service from Lincoln to Saxilby on Friday night and I noticed that the automated announcement overstressed stations beginning with W. "...calling at Saxilby, Gainsborough Lea Road, Retford, WORKSOP, Shireoaks, Kiveton Park, Kiveton Bridge, WOODHOUSE, Darnall, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Barnsley, WAKEFIELD KIRKGATE and Leeds" Rather jarring after a while...

 

[leytongabriel]

Confusing Victoria line announcents yesterday evening ( Xmas Eve and NR strike day) telling us the National Rail services from Tottenham Hale, Finsbury Pk and Euston were suspended. Err and what about Kings Cross or Victoria??? Why not just say National Rail services are suspended or have I got that wrong?

 

[Acton1991]

Travelled on a GWR 165 this morning. At every station, the automated announcement said ‘Please mind the step behind the train and the platform’, then immediately afterwards said ‘please mind the gap between the train and the platform’.

If that’s not excessive, I don’t know what is!

 

[Russel]

There is a couple of conductors on the LNWR Crew-Euston route that seem to take pleasure from repeating the automatic announcements multiple times, it actually makes a good advertisement for DOO.

 

[yorkie]

I think the UK is stuck with obsessive announcements indefinitely; especially if travelling on overzealous train companies such as LNER. "Tickets marked Lumo only, Grand central only, Hull Trains only, Thameslink and Great Northern bla bla... If your ticket is not for this date and this time, bla bla".

Who is going to stop them? (That's a rhetorical question in case anyone is wondering)

If you visit many other countries it's a very different story.

 

[Parallel]

Travelled on a GWR 165 this morning. At every station, the automated announcement said ‘Please mind the step behind the train and the platform’, then immediately afterwards said ‘please mind the gap between the train and the platform’.

If that’s not excessive, I don’t know what is!

I have no idea why they use two at some stations, especially when the guy also has "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform, and take care when stepping down from the train" which covers the need for both. GWR have always been a bit heavy on the safety announcements however. They have a really long one about "minding the gap to avoid injuring yourself" when approaching some stations like Bristol Temple Meads or Liskeard, and they have the "Hold the handrail and take care" at many of their larger stations. Their useful train service announcements at stations are generally more concise, compared to SWR where they are unnecessarily wordy.

 

[Scott1]

The hold the handrail announcements I find especially pointless as people ignore them. I do recall a trial where an announcement played only on one set of stairs (via an independent speaker) saying something like "last year 12 people fell down these stairs, slow down and hold the handrail". I thought that was far more likely to yield the desired results.

Personally I'm a firm beliver that annoucments should be clear and concise. My style is more 'now approaching Barry Beach, mind the gap, change to platform 2 if connecting with the London service'.

I don't have a problem with the number of annoucments on my patch, they recently axed the drafter ones like 'this station has lifts' but I'd rather they got to the point faster. I did like the one about having no tactile paving, which is simply "warning, there is no tactile paving at this station". Anyone who need it will know what it is referring to, and it doesn't feature any of the usual ask for help etc that they enjoy attaching to them for unmanned halts!

 

[Howardh]

The hold the handrail announcements I find especially pointless as people ignore them. I do recall a trial where an announcement played only on one set of stairs (via an independent speaker) saying something like "last year 12 people fell down these stairs, slow down and hold the handrail". I thought that was far more likely to yield the desired results.

Personally I'm a firm beliver that annoucments should be clear and concise. My style is more 'now approaching Barry Beach, mind the gap, change to platform 2 if connecting with the London service'.

I don't have a problem with the number of annoucments on my patch, they recently axed the drafter ones like 'this station has lifts' but I'd rather they got to the point faster. I did like the one about having no tactile paving, which is simply "warning, there is no tactile paving at this station". Anyone who need it will know what it is referring to, and it doesn't feature any of the usual ask for help etc that they enjoy attaching to them for unmanned halts!

As a pax, I don't mind a repeat of the latter point, as if I missed the platform number, I get a second chance!!

 

[takno]

Just got a delayed train at Dorking Deepdene. This a small 2-station platform with no problematic gaps, full tactile strips, non-slip paving and only 4 trains an hour, all of which stop. During the 25 minute period when the fast train got progressively later and was eventually overtaken by the slow there was a periodic apology with an inaccurate explanation for the delay, and no information about which train was now going to arrive earlier or where. Meanwhile there was almost continuous automated verbal diahorrea about seeing it slipping on it and, rather improbably, to it being sorted. The only way to spot the information amongst the drivel was that it didn't start by claiming to be "an important message".

I'm keeping my headphones on full blast and just guessing from now on.

 

[Bikeman78]

The only way to spot the information amongst the drivel was that it didn't start by claiming to be "an important message".

I'm keeping my headphones on full blast and just guessing from now on.

That's a good point! You should have a train ride with me when I have my son with me. He will keep you amused. He openly mocks the automated system even though he's only six. "Why does it keep saying the same thing" or "why does it say things that everybody already knows!" He had the commuters on a 345 in fits of giggles recently.

 

[plymothian]

It's not going to get fewer. The DfT's Service Quality Reporting audits when they must be made, how often and after how much time.
Just on out of course stoppages, on the Elizabeth line, drivers are obliged to say something after 30 seconds of coming to a halt for example, on the mainline it's at 2 minutes and then at 5 minute intervals, even if there is nothing to report.