Announcement volumes

[whole diary]

[QuietNow]

Hi!

I'm new here - but I'm not new to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service between Paddington and the West.

I'm a 'quiet carriage' person and not averse to asking people to pipedown but I typically find the worst offenders are FGW themselves - Either the announcement volume is set to eardrum bursting level or the repeated reading out of the menu (worse still if there's a travelling chef).

Anyway, I travelled on the 16:06 from Paddington yesterday and the volume was the loudest I'd ever heard so I asked the ticket inspector if anything could be done about it.  He was rather brusque and told me that the volume could only be set at the depot.

Now, a couple of months back I was chatting with the new station master at Paddington and he told me that the volume could be set per-carriage by the operator.

So?  Which is right?

When I know who is right - then I want to make a better informed complaint.
There's no need for the volume to be that loud and there's no need to rattle off the meenu on a monday morning 'commuter' train.

[Network SouthEast]

I've never heard of the volume being able to be adjusted by train crew other than by simply how loudly they talk/whisper/shout in to the handset's microphone! Having said that I don't know much about Mk3s, but if true a new one on me.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting that interesting - and rather topical -question, QuietNow.  

And welcome to the Coffee Shop forum, too - in a quiet sort of way ...  

[John R]

Whilst on the subject of announcements, there was an item on ITV News yesterday regarding FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s new policy of a reduction in standard announcements, and the fact that the TM^‡(resolve)'s are all getting training.

I have to say, the TM coming home last night was excellent and amusing, reminding people to mind the "gap so large it can swallow a person", referring to Nailsea & Backwell as "nestling in the reens of the North Somerset levels" and apparently on the approach to Swindon "home of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)" announcing connections as "Bristol Parkway, Newport, Cardiff and many other unpronounceable places". Great improvisation and lots of smiles from passengers.

[grahame]

Welcome to the forum, QuietNow. 

I find it somewhat ironic that the greatest disturbance in the quiet carriage is often the sound of the announcements telling you about - amongst other things - the quiet carriage.  And I find myself wondering "is your announcement really necessary?" to some of the things said.  In an ideal setup, perhaps there would be three sets of announcements - standard ones in regular carriages, less in the quiet carriages, and an increased quantity in the tourist coach.   Learn about the route that you're on - Hanwell Viaduct, the depot at Southall, Maidenhead Bridge, Sonning Cutting and the river Kennet on your way from London to Reading.  Be updated on the progress at Reading, and be told about connections that are available there - why you should take a trip down to Guildford from there one day ... perhaps the tourist coach should be "First", with monthly standard sesaon tickets and longer entitling the holder to a single ride in there so that (s)he becomes more involved.

Oops - going off topic. I welcome the new announcement regime it terms of the changes; as constructive criticism, I wonder if some of the replacements could have been reductions, and I wonder if some of the replacements are a bit of a sales pitch.   Volume?  Personally, I prefer it to be audible and having an announcement at low level that I have to strain to here is more irritating.  Sometimes, I'll choose "quiet" intenionally, by the way - other days, don't care.  And just occasionally I would love to go tourist and learn a bit more about where I am.

[Timmer]

With many trains now making more stops rather than running fast it has become very annoying having to put up with announcements before and after every stop. Are they all really necessary with so much information available on digital displays at stations, not to mention all the automated announcements? To me it's just noise everywhere and all part of the nanny state that we can't think for ourselves having to be constantly bombarded with information most of which we already know. 

Some train crew are excellent with their on train announcements keeping it to a minimum, some literally swallow the microphone and bang on about everything, usually when the PA^▸ (Public Address) system is turned up so loud you have to stop your conversation with someone.

I am glad that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are addressing this but they also need to look at their PA systems as well as some are too quiet others are TOO LOUD! 

[Pb_devon]

QuietNow, welcome.
The new announcement style is much better. As for the volume, And from my frequent long distance experience, it's more likely to be the speaker.  Especially noticable when there is a TM^‡(resolve) change mid journey.
As an aside, it's very comforting to board at PAddington and hear a warm westcountry burr......almost home! (OK, Fast forward the next 3.5 hours!)

[Rhydgaled]

Personally, I prefer it to be audible and having an announcement at low level that I have to strain to here is more irritating.

More irritating still is when I can hear the standard automated anouncments but when an actual useful anouncment as made by the on-board staff it is drowned out. One example was sitting at Shresbury waiting to depart for Aberystwyth, despite having passed the scheduled departure time. A real person attempted to explain the cause of the delay over the tannoy I believe, but I could not decern his words. The manual announcements need to be at least as loud as automated ones, if not louder since they are generally more useful.

'Attention conductor, call for aid activated" is one of the automated announcments that gets annoying since it repeats every few minutes. (I've only heard that announcment on ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) refurbished class 158s though).

ATW = Arriva Trains Wales

[devon_metro]

Whilst on the subject of announcements, there was an item on ITV News yesterday regarding FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s new policy of a reduction in standard announcements, and the fact that the TM^‡(resolve)'s are all getting training.

See: http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2013-05-09/fgw-to-reduce-announcements/

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

I think the recent announcement by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that there will be fewer announcements will generally be welcome. However with regard to next station arrival announcements there can be hearing disabled travellers who may need the visual announcements and also visually disabled travellers who need the audio announcements.
With regard to volume, I am a little hard of hearing but not deaf. I do sometimes find it difficult to hear announcements but many are unnecessary and sometimes annoying when they contin ue to be repeated. I find the the volume does vary from carriage to carriage and also it depends upon where your seat is in the carriage. Having said that, at home we have a regular argument over the TV sound volume with myself often wanting it to be higher and my family lower so I doubt whether on a train every one will be satisfied.

[Super Guard]

Just to confirm, there is no "volume" option on any of the rolling stock for train crew to adjust.

[The SprinterMeister]

Whilst on the subject of announcements, there was an item on ITV News yesterday regarding FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s new policy of a reduction in standard announcements, and the fact that the TM^‡(resolve)'s are all getting training.

You mean This ITV News item?
 

I suspect some of the safety related ones will creep back in, I'm sure someone will claim against the company for not being told to mind the gap, don't eat the soap in the toilets, etc.

[John R]

Yes, that's the one.

We had a new announcement this morning - something about the train would be running  from Bristol Temple Meads to Swindon via Hullavington non stop in half an hour.  I didn't object to that one, indeed, those on board during the journey would quite like to hear it every day. 

[stuving]

Just to confirm, there is no "volume" option on any of the rolling stock for train crew to adjust.

I wondered what was specified for IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.), so had a look at the published specification. This has been criticised for being too prescriptive, but in this respect it certainly isn't.

There are limits placed on the noise and vibration inside the trains, but the section on the PA^▸ (Public Address) says nothing whatsoever about the volume - not even in general terms about its audibility, intelligibility or what (human or automatic) might control the volume. There is a reference to "the legislative requirements", but it seems unlikely there are any in this area.

I guess what that means is: don't expect much to change. Still, there's nothing to stop Agility Trains putting some clever adaptive control stuff in there if they want to, is there?

[Originally posted elsewhere in error.]

[QuietNow]

Thanks for all the replies.
I won't expect the volume to be controlled then - and I'll put up with 'standard' announcements

but surely we do not need a full list of all the food/drink items available from the buffet - especially on a train pulling into Paddington before 09:00.

Hot and cold drinks does not need to be further expanded to "tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lattes cappucinos etc".  In fact 'drinks' pretty much sums it up
Similarly "Hot food" does not need to be expanded to "bacon baguettes, sausage baguettes etc etc"

As to bigging up the "travelling chef" - really?  We're talking bacon baguettes!

So, assuming the infrequent traveller on what is effectively a commuter train, I believe the long winded food announcement need only identify if there actually is a buffet carriage and possibly that they're doing hot food.

So...

"A buffet service is avaiable in coach G providing hot and cold food and drinks"
or on days with no one doing any hot food
"A buffet service is avaiable in coach G providing cold drinks and "