End of Automated Station Announcements?

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

From the Times:

Ding-dong: we’re sorry to announce that the infuriating platform announcement has been cancelled.

The transport secretary is about to pull the plug on automated announcements at rail stations because of concerns that they drive passengers up the wall. Chris Grayling has told train companies to employ more people to make announcements to ensure travellers are given accurate information. He said that widespread use of computer-driven PAs^▸ (Public Address) was leaving passengers frustrated and giving them little helpful information when something went wrong.

The minister’s action follows problems this summer when the introduction of new timetables backfired, with up to 800 trains a day cancelled in north and southeast England. An inquiry was told that many passengers were left in the dark with poor information issued via speakers and information screens.

Mr Grayling said that employing human announcers was needed to give passengers more up-to-date information such as the reason for a delay, when it would be resolved, alternative routes and how to claim compensation.

Speaking to The Times he said: “The automated announcements do nothing to show sympathy for inconvenienced passengers and often fail to provide vital information. That’s why I’d like to see, wherever possible, the return of a human voice at the other end of a microphone.

“Train operators are doing good work to harness tech solutions to provide passenger information, but they should make sure old fashioned customer service remains part of it.”

Robert Nisbet, of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: “Automated announcements take information from a number of sources to give the most precise information possible. In many stations operators can switch off or add to the automated system.”

Goodness me.  Is it the 1st April already?

[CMRail]

From the Times:

Ding-dong: we’re sorry to announce that the infuriating platform announcement has been cancelled.

The transport secretary is about to pull the plug on automated announcements at rail stations because of concerns that they drive passengers up the wall. Chris Grayling has told train companies to employ more people to make announcements to ensure travellers are given accurate information. He said that widespread use of computer-driven PAs^▸ (Public Address) was leaving passengers frustrated and giving them little helpful information when something went wrong.

The minister’s action follows problems this summer when the introduction of new timetables backfired, with up to 800 trains a day cancelled in north and southeast England. An inquiry was told that many passengers were left in the dark with poor information issued via speakers and information screens.

Mr Grayling said that employing human announcers was needed to give passengers more up-to-date information such as the reason for a delay, when it would be resolved, alternative routes and how to claim compensation.

Speaking to The Times he said: “The automated announcements do nothing to show sympathy for inconvenienced passengers and often fail to provide vital information. That’s why I’d like to see, wherever possible, the return of a human voice at the other end of a microphone.

“Train operators are doing good work to harness tech solutions to provide passenger information, but they should make sure old fashioned customer service remains part of it.”

Robert Nisbet, of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: “Automated announcements take information from a number of sources to give the most precise information possible. In many stations operators can switch off or add to the automated system.”

Goodness me.  Is it the 1st April already?

They need a new voice that’s more relaxing and instead of “sorry” “apologies” give information i.e

“The 17:42 Great Western Railway service to Cheltenham Spa is currently expected to arrive 4 minutes behind schedule.”

Anything over 8 minutes then issue one apology. General announcements are announced every minute when the train is near.

[grahame]

Mr Grayling said that employing human announcers was needed to give passengers more up-to-date information such as the reason for a delay, when it would be resolved, alternative routes and how to claim compensation.

Speaking to The Times he said: “The automated announcements do nothing to show sympathy for inconvenienced passengers and often fail to provide vital information. That’s why I’d like to see, wherever possible, the return of a human voice at the other end of a microphone.

“Train operators are doing good work to harness tech solutions to provide passenger information, but they should make sure old fashioned customer service remains part of it.”

Who's going to pay for them 

Automated announcement (and information board) overrides are most needed at times when things aren't running to plan - and those are the very times that staff are at their busiest anyway.

Suggestion ...

1. Reduce the repeated automated announcements to sensible level; I recall standing on Breich station last year - the only passenger waiting for a train, and being bombarded every few minutes. 

2. Reduce the need for out-of-ordinary announcements by sorting out the trains themselves to run to timetable, and of the correct length and with reservations shown in the right coaches

3. Reduce the number of "features" of the automated software that don't function properly / as well as even a knowledgable passenger can tell result in wrong or misleading information.

Journey on a brand new train the other week ... automated announcement tells us the train has just left Neath and the next station would be Port Talbot Parkway.   Train manager follows that up, with  humourous line, tellng is that the train has it wrong and we've actually just left Newport and the next station will be Bristol Parkway.  But, seriously, if my mobile phone can tell where I am through SatNav, why can't the rather more expensive train know where it is?

[TaplowGreen]

Given that effective and useful customer information & communications are one of the railways weakest point, it'll be interesting to see how this develops

[Timmer]

I think we’d all be grateful if there were less automated announcements at stations. Fine when all is running smoothly but next to useless when things go wrong becoming most annoying. I think TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) have become far to over reliant on them when human input at times of disruption would be better for the passenger.

From personal experience they are usually very good at Bath Spa with resorting to human announcements at times of disruption to give passengers the latest info though often it’s not good news.

[CMRail]

As spoken about before, all key stations on the GW^▸ (Great Western) network are to have these wireless microphones that the dispatcher/service delivery assistant will use.

[Bob_Blakey]

Excellent idea. Digby & Sowton station currently has a regular 'For their own safety, passengers are reminded to stand behind the yellow line' announcement. Which might be considered OK if said station actually had a yellow line. But it doesn't. Pillocks.

[want2workrail]

Excellent idea. Digby & Sowton station currently has a regular 'For their own safety, passengers are reminded to stand behind the yellow line' announcement. Which might be considered OK if said station actually had a yellow line. But it doesn't. Pillocks.

This problem also occurs at Blackwater too!

[eightonedee]

Having just had a good old moan about some problems at Reading on another thread, there was one particularly irritating use of them when the refurbished station first reopened. This was "letting off" two announcements on nearby platforms almost simultaneously, so neither could be heard.

There is one announcer though at Reading, who when he is on duty goes the extra mile in trying to give helpful information. It does not sound like he was on duty today, and (presumably) his ability to do so depends on Control providing the information. At Guildford we seem to get helpful real human voices more often when there are problems, although not always.

Grahame's point about who will pay for them is well made. It does not seem that there are enough staff to cascade information out from Control, let alone announce to passengers. Or is it a case that the industry does not have the time/initiative/motivation to spend looking at how they might look at the way they do things to see if they could bridge the information gap? 

 

[Bmblbzzz]

2. Reduce the need for out-of-ordinary announcements by sorting out the trains themselves to run to timetable, and of the correct length and with reservations shown in the right coaches

Far too radical.