Station and on board train announcements - merged topic, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

1. I was at Reading this afternoon and could quite clearly hear all of the platform announcements relating to every platform. Plus, they are relayed into the waiting rooms and toilets.

2. The Next Train announcements are made on two sets of overhead screens, side by side, on each platform at Reading - right up to an hour ahead, with platform numbers shown.

Do you have supersonic hearing?

I know they are on the screens - thats not the point

Either split the two tannoys up more or just do the "The train now approaching announcement"

[miniman]

I think the announcements are triggered automatically when the train passes a certain point. Platform 4 at Reading is very heavily used, I think it's the only westbound HST^▸ (High Speed Train) platform which means it's serving loads of places. My guess is because there are so many trains through there, and quite a few stationary / slow moving outside the station that the trigger point is closer to the station than normal. So if a train comes in quite quickly there's a shorter gap. Certainly the gap between the announcements at Chippenham is pretty well spaced - the "platform 1 for the..." is usually at least 1-2 minutes before the train arrives.

[dog box]

Hsts can use 4,5 ,8, 9 at Reading

[Mookiemoo]

Hsts can use 4,5 ,8, 9 at Reading

Yep

On Wed the 1750 left from 8!

Last minute plat change 

[Chris from Nailsea]

I agree, those pre-recorded station platform announcements are often a pain in the ear!

At Bristol Temple Meads, with about 15 platforms (don't even ask!), we quite often get a situation where an automatically-triggered announcement for platform 8 is almost immediately 'shouted down' by an alternative announcement from platform 5. The problem with having such announcements broadcast at full volume on all platforms is exactly that: even those with the hearing of a bat can't understand any of it!

The double screens are indeed useful, though: they often show apparently the same list of timed departures, side by side - perhaps so you can amuse yourself by playing 'spot the difference', while waiting for your delayed train???

[thefab442]

The "No smoking" announcement is getting a bit annoying, mainly because of the announcer's nasally voice on that part. It definitely isn't digital Doris!

Another thing that I've realised about Digital Doris is she sounds really depressed when she says "London paddingtoooonn....", and yet much more upbeat when she says "GLOUCester!" or "Bristltmplmeeeaaads!" If you've ever been to Cardiff Central/Queen Street she pronounces the Welsh station names pretty well!

I believe that the No Smoking announcement is Doris, but she sounds really pissed off! AWLLL OUR CHRAINS ANN STAYSHUNS ARE NO SMOKING AIR-RE^▸ (Religious Education)-YAS, WHEN YOU ALIGHT FROM THE CHRAIN PLEASE DO NOT SMOWKE UNTIL YOU HAVE LEFT THE STAYSHUN PREMISES. Both the London (end) announcements are funny - Lundun Padddddingtunnnnnnnnnnnnn and Lundun Waterloooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Odd thing is the continuous versions she is happy with (I am sorry that the 07.55 First Great Western service to London Paddingtun!... is delayyyyed).


Another dodgy station is "Ann" "dover". I mean, if she can't say that right, god help her with Micheldever - which neither Celia nor Phil can say properly. Phil is close with "Mitchell... dever" but you can hear the slight gap.

[r james]

Quite often at cardiff central it announces that the train standing on platform X is the ........ service, even though the train is already moving and on its way out of the station!

[Graz]

Even worse at Bristol is when you're on platform 3 and straining to hear a already too quiet announcement, and the booming voice on platform 5/6 kicks in! Who knows why they don't tone down platform 5/6's voice a bit...

[shadow]

Not sure if it still does it, as i dont pay attention and the trains moved platforms.
The 17:30 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from WSM to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), when it came in on platform 15 at Temple Meads, the 'Train now standing' announcement even though the train was not standing at the platform (it still hadn't come under the bridge, or was coming under the bridge at the time)

[miniman]

Not sure if it still does it, as i dont pay attention and the trains moved platforms.
The 17:30 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from WSM to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), when it came in on platform 15 at Temple Meads, the 'Train now standing' announcement even though the train was not standing at the platform (it still hadn't come under the bridge, or was coming under the bridge at the time)

Yeah it still does that 

[12hoursunday]

Automactic announcements are usually transmitted to the platform concerned (unless it's a advertised platform alteration) and manual announcments can be heard at all platforms.

Not sure if it still does it, as i dont pay attention and the trains moved platforms.
The 17:30 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from WSM to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), when it came in on platform 15 at Temple Meads, the 'Train now standing' announcement even though the train was not standing at the platform (it still hadn't come under the bridge, or was coming under the bridge at the time)

The automactic announcments are designed to work with signalling system. Slow approach to Plat 15 @ BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) (15mph) and some adjustment has always been needed at this location in both directions!

[smokey]

The "No smoking" announcement is getting a bit annoying, mainly because of the announcer's nasally voice on that part. It definitely isn't digital Doris!

Another thing that I've realised about Digital Doris is she sounds really depressed when she says "London paddingtoooonn....", and yet much more upbeat when she says "GLOUCester!" or "Bristltmplmeeeaaads!" If you've ever been to Cardiff Central/Queen Street she pronounces the Welsh station names pretty well!

I believe that the No Smoking announcement is Doris, but she sounds really pissed off! AWLLL OUR CHRAINS ANN STAYSHUNS ARE NO SMOKING AIR-RE^▸ (Religious Education)-YAS, WHEN YOU ALIGHT FROM THE CHRAIN PLEASE DO NOT SMOWKE UNTIL
YOU HAVE LEFT THE STAYSHUN PREMISES. Both the London (end) announcements are funny - Lundun Padddddingtunnnnnnnnnnnnn and Lundun Waterloooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Odd thing is the continuous versions she is happy with (I am sorry that the 07.55 First Great Western service to London Paddingtun!... is delayyyyed).


Another dodgy station is "Ann" "dover". I mean, if she can't say that right, god help her with Micheldever - which neither Celia nor Phil can say properly. Phil is close with "Mitchell... dever" but you can hear the slight gap.

The young lady who did the recordings for Digital Doris spent 3 long days in Nottingham recording every station in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) including Welsh stations in English and Welsh and an awfiul lot of phrases.

The Smoking is not permitted on stations etc message has been editted together hence the change in pitch.

[Jez]

Quite often at cardiff central it announces that the train standing on platform X is the ........ service, even though the train is already moving and on its way out of the station!

Ive noticed that at Cardiff Central too - mind you they do seem to be announcing every train that is starting off at Cardiff 3 times now (Portsmouth, Nottingham, Holyhead etc) and the trains which are passing through cardiff get "the next train to arrive at...." and "the train now approaching platform....."  So if you are in platform 3/4's waiting room waiting for the West Wales train you can hear announcements for trains to Nottingham and Manchester etc.

At Cardiff all trains departing and arriving at platforms 0,1,2,3 & 4 get the announcements on all 5 of those platforms.  The valley line/Cardiff local services from platforms 6 & 7 get a seperate announcement system which can only be heard I believe on those 2 platforms.

We rarely get the train standing at Platform announcements here in Wales. Its either "the next train to arrive" "the next train to depart" or "the train now approaching". If its a platform alteration as is often the case with platforms 3 and 4 at Cardiff, again the annoucement will be heard on all platforms between 0-4.

[Jez]

The one that gets on my tits is the ones at stations about lugguage 'any unattended lugguage will be removed without warning'. Well isnt that a totally daft statement? If its unattended lugguage who are you supposed to warn about removing it anyway??

That one is really annoying and ive heard it so much I know it word for word

"Please do not leave your luggage unattended on the station. Luggage left unattended may be removed without warning, or damaged or destroyed by the security services"

They seem to be playing the one about no smoking more often than the luggage one currently, obviously as there is now a smoking ban

"all of our trains and stations are no smoking area's, please do not smoke until you have left the station premises"

Here in Wales we obviously get the announcements in Welsh as well. They also seem to be announcing trains that are starting off in Cardiff 3 times now e.g yesterday I noticed they announced the next train to depart from platform 0 for the Notts service 3 times in around the 6 minutes before it was departing.   Im sure it only used to be the once they would announce trains that were starting off, around 3 mins before departure time.

At reading you get almost five minutes of constant announcement - if everything is running normally

You do at Cardiff yes.  We got told the Portsmouth train was terminating 3 times, the Nottingham train was departing 3 times, the Manchester train was next to arrive and then approaching, the Swansea train was next to arrive and then approaching,  and these announcements would be heard on platforms 0-4 and all waiting rooms too.

Another announcement ive heard is when the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Swansea service is delayed and the West Wales ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) service arrives before it, they will say "Would passengers waiting for the delayed service to Swansea please wait for further announcements about this train".  Of course everyone just gets on the 3 carriage ATW service as it call at all the same stations as the FGW one!

[thefab442]

The young lady who did the recordings for Digital Doris spent 3 long days in Nottingham recording every station in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) including Welsh stations in English and Welsh and an awfiul lot of phrases.

The Smoking is not permitted on stations etc message has been editted together hence the change in pitch.

Yeah, I believe her name is Ruth and she hails from Truro - that could be why she says Redruth as "Red.... RUTH!!". I dunno about the latter point though, I expect its a new recording but she had a blocked nose or something and so it sounds different? The "Cross Country" recording isn't too bad though, unlike Phil's "CROSSCUNTRY SERVICE TO!!! Bournemouth"


It must be pretty tedious recording all those stations, then doing them all again (they have a "continual" and "end" version), then all the misc announcements, then all the numbers and times and TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company). Not that given the offer, I'd say no.