Quiet Carriage / Coach: restrictions and issues - ongoing discussion, merged topic

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

The problem is, there are a lot of people who listen to loud music, without noise cancelling earphones!
I still have a basic problem with the notice.
In NO coach should you listen to music where it is disturbing to others. And not just out of common courtesy. Fact: with normal ear phones - if the music or a beat can be heard when you are not wearing them, the sound is too loud, you're damaging your ears.
Same with mobiles. In no coaches should people be forced to listen to overloud conversations, not just in the Quiet Zone.

And now FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will provide clear guidance, in line of sight of the offenders, that you are not allowed to do that in the designated quiet carriage. Staff and fellow passengers should have no qualms with pointing that out to them! And you clearly don't have a problem with the notice, you have a problem with the fact that restrictions don't apply throughout the whole train. I agree with you on many points of etiquette - it's a shame that many other members of the human race evidently don't, but this in my opinion is a good way for FGW to highlight the rules in the quiet carriage, which have been widely disregarded over the years.

[broadgage]

Whilst I welcome the idea of the quiet carriage, it does seem a bit pointless when endless announcements are made, at high volume and many of them needless.
Banning children would be an excelent idea, but I fear that it would be against the human rights of the owners of the brats.

[Mojo]

Surely the last three out of those four points apply regardless of where you are sat on the train?

You shouldn't play music out loud wherever you are sat, nor should you shout.

[Btline]

Surely the last three out of those four points apply regardless of where you are sat on the train?

You shouldn't play music out loud wherever you are sat, nor should you shout.

Correct.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are basically endorsing anti social behaviour - because that's what it is - on their trains, without having tougher guildlines in their Quiet Zone (i.e. phones OFF, etc)

[dog box]

prehaps you can enlighten us on the needlless announcments???

[Mookiemoo]

prehaps you can enlighten us on the needlless announcments???

0624 from WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) - announcing where to get off at any station up to OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) - NO ONE GETS OFF - and if they do they are regulars!

60% of the time - the TM^‡(resolve) doesnt do any verbal anmouncements - then you get the jobsworths who do - its like day and night

With the stops on the cotswolds line - by the time they have finished (if they do the whole script including the braille safety leaflets) they have a pause for breath before they are announcing which stop we're approaching and where to get off

on the way down on the morning peaks - you dont need to advertise the stops and on the evening peaks, rarely north of oxford do you get anyone joining! 

Then there are the customer hosts announcing the buffet is open - stop there!  dont go through the list of everything you have!  If people want stuff - they'll go once they know its open - if they dont - announcing an all day breakfast bap is not going to entice them!

It constant tannoy noise these days!

[Btline]

And make all bar emergency announcements quieter in the Quiet Zone.

They should install LED screens in the carriages as well - this QUIETLY tells people which coaches to alight from.

[John R]

prehaps you can enlighten us on the needlless announcments???

Then there are the customer hosts announcing the buffet is open - stop there!  dont go through the list of everything you have!  If people want stuff - they'll go once they know its open - if they dont - announcing an all day breakfast bap is not going to entice them!

The fully licensed bar bit always amuses me.... at 8am???

[IndustryInsider]

Whilst the trendy-ten-years-ago term 'jobsworths' is certainly valid in certain contexts in certain railway jobs, I don't think you should label train managers that like to make announcements jobsworths. I agree that in my opinion some of them go over the top, but in the case of HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s on the Cotswolds with short platforms then they really should be announcing it in some way. You can bet your life that if you don't then you'll get the occasional irregular passenger who doesn't know and panics and pulls the comms cord. The 5 minute delay that would result would fall squarely on them if they haven't announced it.

Better training in what to announce and when needs to be given. The TM^‡(resolve)'s on here might be able to tell you what they are given in terms of scripts, but they certainly don't follow the KISS^▸ (keep it simple, stupid!) principles (Keep It Short and Simple) that they should. I used to take courses in Train Announcing, so I know what I am talking about. Sadly, these days it's all about covering all the bases and you can't blame TM's for saying what they are told to say! Agree with Btline that internal displays should also be used - they were included in the original mock-up of the HST refresh, but cost got in the way. Obviously IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) will come with internal displays - hopefully they will be used to good effect!

I remember clearly travelling on an early morning stopper from Reading to Paddington the other year where the driver constantly announced the next stop and apologised for the 6 minute delay that the train had. To be honest it was getting totally on my wick, and as I know him I went up to him at Paddington and jokingly told him so. At that point two passengers came up and personally thanked him for all the announcements and for keeping them informed! You just can't win...

[Mookiemoo]

Whilst the trendy-ten-years-ago term 'jobsworths' is certainly valid in certain contexts in certain railway jobs, I don't think you should label train managers that like to make announcements jobsworths. I agree that in my opinion some of them go over the top, but in the case of HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s on the Cotswolds with short platforms then they really should be announcing it in some way. You can bet your life that if you don't then you'll get the occasional irregular passenger who doesn't know and panics and pulls the comms cord. The 5 minute delay that would result would fall squarely on them if they haven't announced it.

Better training in what to announce and when needs to be given. The TM^‡(resolve)'s on here might be able to tell you what they are given in terms of scripts, but they certainly don't follow the KISS^▸ (keep it simple, stupid!) principles (Keep It Short and Simple) that they should. I used to take courses in Train Announcing, so I know what I am talking about. Sadly, these days it's all about covering all the bases and you can't blame TM's for saying what they are told to say! Agree with Btline that internal displays should also be used - they were included in the original mock-up of the HST refresh, but cost got in the way. Obviously IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) will come with internal displays - hopefully they will be used to good effect!

I remember clearly travelling on an early morning stopper from Reading to Paddington the other year where the driver constantly announced the next stop and apologised for the 6 minute delay that the train had. To be honest it was getting totally on my wick, and as I know him I went up to him at Paddington and jokingly told him so. At that point two passengers came up and personally thanked him for all the announcements and for keeping them informed! You just can't win...

OK - I've been doing this since 2004 - I reckon 75% of the time I've been doing WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) to Thames valley/london- I dont think I've been on a train where anyone has pulled a comms!  And I've been on many in the morning!  I'm not saying dont announce full stop!

Then there is the one who is always obbsesses about using the toilets on the approach to paddington - he starts announcing that at oxford! 

Minimum INMHO

1. Announcing where to get off
2. Announcing there is a buffet

End of

How many people really read the safety leaflets anyway and if they don't - are going to be prompted by a tannoy!

[IndustryInsider]

OK - I've been doing this since 2004 - I reckon 75% of the time I've been doing WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) to Thames valley/london- I dont think I've been on a train where anyone has pulled a comms!  And I've been on many in the morning!  I'm not saying dont announce full stop!

Then there is the one who is always obbsesses about using the toilets on the approach to paddington - he starts announcing that at oxford! 

Minimum INMHO

1. Announcing where to get off
2. Announcing there is a buffet

End of

How many people really read the safety leaflets anyway and if they don't - are going to be prompted by a tannoy!

I'd pretty much agree with that - only adding announcements with the calling points before the train leaves its origin station (and MAJOR stations en route) and of course regular updates of any delay if appropriate.

The safety announcements are OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website), they are only said so that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are not as liable if they don't follow them in the event of an accident. The Maidenhead fire of about 15 years ago is a prime example, where at least one passenger clambered out of a window to avoid the smoke and went down onto the running line and was mowed down by a train coming the other way. For that reason they will probably remain, though a simple 'We recommend you read the safety information near your seat' adds two seconds to the announcement, and would suffice in my opinion.

[Tim]

The fully licensed bar bit always amuses me.... at 8am???

Why is it always decribed as fully licenced?  What is a partly licenced bar?

[Mookiemoo]

The fully licensed bar bit always amuses me.... at 8am???

Why is it always decribed as fully licenced?  What is a partly licenced bar?

Isnt the difference about whether you can drink on or off the premises.  So by being fully licenced they can sell you alcohol and you can drink it in the buffet/on the train and take it with you.  Whilst you can restricted licences that only allow off sales or consumption on the premises

[miniman]

The only improvement I can think of is 'Quiet Carriage' in a few of the common languages, so that non-English speakers might get the gist of it too.

Not hard, is it? 

[moonrakerz]

Again - I have noise canceling headphones - bet I could watch terminator next to you and you woldnt know

Ummmm !

Noise canceling headphones are designed to reduce the effects of external noise on the listener not the other way round !  In theory this should allow the wearer to reduce the volume they are listening at, but there is little evidence to support this.
True noise canceling headphones also need to enclose the ear completely, most personal audio equipment use in-ear devices which are not - despite what they claim - noise canceling !