"The ten-hundred hours service to..."

[cjohnson]

Passing through a London terminus this morning, was surprised to hear the auto-announcer describing a 10:00 service as the "Ten-hundred hours service".

Why is this method of describing times on the hour used for announcements? Why not the more far more commonly used "10 o'clock" or "10 a.m."? (I've never experienced someone in person describing a time as x-hundred hours; but occasionally people will say 0820 as "oh-eight twenty").

(Is a train departing at midnight then announced as the "zero-hundred hours" / "'oh'-hundred hours"?!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are no trains departing at 0000, even if it breaks a clockface pattern they are moved to 2359 or 0001 to avoid confusion about which day they run in.

As for not using "o'clock", "twenty three o'clock" would sound weird. "O'clock" implies 12 hour clock, as does "a.m.".

 

[Steveman]

Correct way to call it.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The railways in the U.K. have used the 24-hour clock for over 50 years so a.m. & p.m. have no place.

Similarly nobody uses "fourteen o'clock" (or whatever) on the 24-hour system.

"XX hundred hours" has never struck me as unusual.

 

[cf111]

I would have been more surprised to hear it announced amy other way.

 

[BigCj34]

How would a 00:00 service be announced? Not necessarily for a railway announcement but for any service that makes similar style announcements in the 24-hour format.

 

[PeterC]

Midnight.

 

[pdeaves]

A 10:01 service would be 'ten-oh-one' and is reasonable. 10:00 as 'ten-oh-oh' sounds silly. 'Ten hundred' is what everyone I know would use (if using 24 hour). 'Ten o'clock' implies (to me) imprecision; it might mean a minute or two either side.

 

[westv]

Does the OP perhaps have a li

How would a 00:00 service be announced? Not necessarily for a railway announcement but for any service that makes similar style announcements in the 24-hour format.

Zero hundred hours.

 

[Taunton]

There are no trains departing at 0000, even if it breaks a clockface pattern they are moved to 2359 or 0001 to avoid confusion about which day they run in.

London Underground need to be more precise in their timetables, normally to the half minute, and use 2400.

I have encountered overseas operators who for the last services of the day get up to the likes of 2430 or even 2515 etc, to ensure they are collated correctly on the computer. These are on internal documents only where users get used to it.

 

[Bromley boy]

Does the OP perhaps have a li


Zero hundred hours.

Midnight at my TOC’s London terminals.

 

[HowardGWR]

It is standard military nomenclature that has been adopted. As another example, I always say 'Niner' when on the phone, using NATO phonetics. We only get 80% of what we hear on the phone or tannoy.

 

[Bromley boy]

It is standard military nomenclature that has been adopted. As another example, I always say 'Niner' when on the phone, using NATO phonetics. We only get 80% of what we hear on the phone or tannoy.

I do the same. Using that along with “fife” for five, “tree” for three, “fo-wer” for four you can end up getting some funny looks.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It is standard military nomenclature that has been adopted. As another example, I always say 'Niner' when on the phone, using NATO phonetics. We only get 80% of what we hear on the phone or tannoy.

That just makes me think of Airplane!:
"Roger, Roger"
"What's our vector, Victor?"
"We've got clearance, Clarence"

 

[nottsnurse]

It is standard military nomenclature that has been adopted. As another example, I always say 'Niner' when on the phone, using NATO phonetics. We only get 80% of what we hear on the phone or tannoy.

Its when you ask them to "wait one" or you keep a BATCO sheet next to the phone you realise you've perhaps taken it too far!!

 

[maniacmartin]

I think the oddest times to hear are things like 00:12 which is announced as "midnight twelve" at stations that I usually travel from during the night

 

[snowball]

I think the oddest times to hear are things like 00:12 which is announced as "midnight twelve" at stations that I usually travel from during the night

Also used by the BBC World Service so I assume it's standard.

 

[Stigy]

Does the OP perhaps have a li


Zero hundred hours.

Either that or midnight works, but I definitely not 12 'o clock...

 

[JW16]

Ten hundred hours is correct for a 10:00 departure. An 00:07 departure is called the "midnight oh seven" which does sound a bit odd, perhaps the "twenty four oh seven" would be better.

 

[snowball]

Either that or midnight works, but I definitely not 12 'o clock...

My biggest pet hates are "12 a.m." and "12 p.m". I think even people using the 12-hour clock should avoid those.

Ten hundred hours is correct for a 10:00 departure. An 00:07 departure is called the "midnight oh seven" which does sound a bit odd, perhaps the "twenty four oh seven" would be better.

Logically 24:07 means 24 hours later than 00:07.

 

[bb21]

Ten hundred hours is correct for a 10:00 departure. An 00:07 departure is called the "midnight oh seven" which does sound a bit odd, perhaps the "twenty four oh seven" would be better.

"Twenty four oh seven" makes no sense as the twenty-four-hour clock finishes at 2400.

Some internal systems in this country identify times with hours larger than 2400 to simplify certain activities, but this has never been used publicly.

 

[Mag_seven]

I don't like it when guards announce arrival times etc in the 12 hour format. Even worse is when the mix the two together e.g."this is 13.30 from Reading due to arrive at London Paddington at two o'clock."

 

[sheff1]

The railways in the U.K. have used the 24-hour clock for over 50 years so a.m. & p.m. have no place.

Try telling that to the many guards who insist on using the 12 hour clock or, worse, a mixture of 24 & 12 hour times. I have been tempted to ask those who says that a train booked to arrive at, say, 18.10 is expected to arrive at 6.10 why there is going to be a 12 hour delay but expect it would go way over their heads.

 

[island]

How would a 00:00 service be announced? Not necessarily for a railway announcement but for any service that makes similar style announcements in the 24-hour format.

It wouldn’t on the railway, as no services are booked to depart anywhere at 00:00. They are all 23:59 or 00:01 to avoid confusion.

00:10 is announced as “midnight ten”.

 

[najaB]

"Twenty four oh seven" makes no sense as the twenty-four-hour clock finishes at 2400.

23:59.59 as the next second is 00:00.00

 

[sheff1]

00:10 is announced as “midnight ten”.

In my experience, the more usual announcement is "double-o ten".

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Twenty four oh seven is not proper time though. Do you ever see 24:07 on clocks, computers, anywhere?

 

[bb21]

23:59.59 as the next second is 00:00.00

Absolutely not.

Where is 23.59.59 and half second in your case?

 

[methethpropbut]

This one particularly grinds my gears because of course, an hour is 60 minutes and not 100!

 

[Starmill]

Some announcements just say 'the ten hundred service to...'. As others have said services 0001 to 0059 inclusive are usually announced as 'midnight oh-one' to 'midnight fifty-nine'.