TheSel
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The train is too short for the platform ?!? Really ?!?
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py_megapixel
Established Member
I think they must have meant the platform is too short for the train
Meridian richard
Member
Yes, in M&S but they didn’t make announcements about it in the foodhall
Oops, we’ll spotted. It should have read “the platform is too short for this train”
trainophile
Established Member
Can't remember if we've had this one, but it's a (I think) Scotrail stations regular - "the **** to **** is delayed, please listen for further announcements", but the only "further announcements" that ever happen are repeats of this, never any additional information. In my experience anyway.
Dai Corner
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I think 'this train is longer than the platform' would sound better.
As someone mentioned in this thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...cements-possible-solution-not-perfect.225150/ I'm not sure that the announcement about taking extra care in today's wet weather is really necessary.
I've heard some train conductors (and manual announcers at stations) use the 12-hour instead of the 24-hour clock. That can lead to confusion as to whether they are referring to the 22.11 or the twenty to eleven train. Someone might think they mean the latter and turn up at 22.30 (as twenty to eleven at night is 22.40 in 24-hour clock) and find that their train had left 19 minutes ago!
Then there are a lot of train conductors who always say "service" instead of "train". In some contexts you can say either, although I suppose strictly speaking a "service" is an entire timetable of trains on a particular route. But in some instances they say "service" when "train" would sound better, such as in "Before alighting from this service, please ensure that you have all your belongings with you" or "I will shortly be making my way through the service and carrying out a full ticket check."
I've heard some train conductors (and manual announcers at stations) use the 12-hour instead of the 24-hour clock. That can lead to confusion as to whether they are referring to the 22.11 or the twenty to eleven train. Someone might think they mean the latter and turn up at 22.30 (as twenty to eleven at night is 22.40 in 24-hour clock) and find that their train had left 19 minutes ago!
Then there are a lot of train conductors who always say "service" instead of "train". In some contexts you can say either, although I suppose strictly speaking a "service" is an entire timetable of trains on a particular route. But in some instances they say "service" when "train" would sound better, such as in "Before alighting from this service, please ensure that you have all your belongings with you" or "I will shortly be making my way through the service and carrying out a full ticket check."
Nova1
Member
I feel like the please take care around the station due to poor weather is more of a liability thing than anything else
As I've mentioned previously, most of these phrases are used because TOCs tell them to. LM had a very concise document for announcements with literally pages of you must say this, or you mustn't say this
Wychwood93
Member
Outdated PA messaging - yesterday and today I had GWR 'festive alterations' messaging - Basingstoke/Reading yesterday and Southampton/Bristol today. A touch too early for this year? GWR ahead of the game? 8xx were 'normal'.
This is the company where platform announcements are clearly announcing the arrival of a train at platform two as it is rolling to a stop at platform one and no-one seems to care enough to get something done about it, so nothing surprises me.
Nova1
Member
This happens a lot with West Midlands Railway at Stratford-Upon-Avon, most services use platform 1 but many are booked platform 2, but the announcements will continue to say "platform 2 for the xx:xx..." as it pulls into platform 1, then as the train stops it goes "THIS IS A PLATFORM ALTERATION"
PG
Established Member
So in either of these cases would a passenger who failed to get on the train before it departed due to not having enough time to switch platform be successful in a Delay Repay claim?
Zontar
Member
Any guards that think it's appropriate and professional to sing a popular (debatable) song only with the words changed to fit whatever they're trying to announce.
By all means make a light hearted comment, but the announcements need to be a balance of professional, informative, succinct and timely.
Start signing it and people are just not going to listen to anything you say.
What makes it worse is when TOCs promote it by sharing on social media.
By all means make a light hearted comment, but the announcements need to be a balance of professional, informative, succinct and timely.
Start signing it and people are just not going to listen to anything you say.
What makes it worse is when TOCs promote it by sharing on social media.
The one that I witness on a fairly regular basis is cross-platform, so is highly unlikely to result in someone missing their train. Repeated announcements that are clearly wrong will just lead to people not only ignoring announcements - but also slowly acquiring the (I hope incorrect) impression of a slapdash organisation that doesn't care about getting things right. Today information; tomorrow safety?
What song is it, if I ever heard a train gaurd singing a song over the tannoy I would be concerned about his sanity!
Zontar
Member
Thanks, clearly a Meatloaf fan!
Inversnecky
Member
You’re being very generous with the use of the term ‘singing’. 
blakey1152
Member
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for me its any recorded announcement that starts "We are sorry..."
For me, no recorded announcement should ever give an apology - it doesn't make it seem sincere as if they really are sorry in my opinion
For me, no recorded announcement should ever give an apology - it doesn't make it seem sincere as if they really are sorry in my opinion
Zontar
Member
Unbearable.You’re being very generous with the use of the term ‘singing’.
I can perhaps see the novel amusement once....but imagine having that before every station, every day.....
Referring to traincrew on DOO services winds me up (somewhat irrationally). Dictionary definition of crew is a group of people which can’t be possible on DOO. For the avoidance of doubt I’m not referring to GTRs OBS operated services, where sometimes trains are held or cancelled due to OBS not being on site.
DelayRepay
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Even worse are automated announcements that start "I am sorry to announce...".
It is a machine - it cannot be sorry, happy, sad, angry or have any other emotion.
It's interesting to compare with the situation in Belgium. Most small stations simply have a timetable poster showing all departures, platform and stopping points. No real time displays or announcements at all.
Most of the network has bi-directional signalling so off peak a stopper can run wrong road and stop at the wrong platform. I been on several trains that have done this. People seem to work it out for themselves; occasionally the guard has to shout across. In true Belgian style, some passengers simply leg it across the track rather than go round the official way.
My kids take the mickey out of the safety announcements. Recently at Reading, it had gone in to overdrive. My son (who is five) said "why do they keep saying random stuff that everyone already knows!" Made my day.
py_megapixel
Established Member
I am always slightly tempted to respond to the phrase "May I please have your attention" in an automated announcement with "no, you may not"
CaptainHaddock
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"It is not permitted to cycle, skateboard or roller blade whilst on the station".
The first two might make sense but surely"roller blading" was a brief fad that fell out of fashion back in the 1980s? Does anyone ever think, on hearing this announcement "Damn, I was thinking of having a bit of a roller blade on the station concourse but I won;t bother now"?
The first two might make sense but surely"roller blading" was a brief fad that fell out of fashion back in the 1980s? Does anyone ever think, on hearing this announcement "Damn, I was thinking of having a bit of a roller blade on the station concourse but I won;t bother now"?
YorksLad12
Established Member
Nah, they've got these modern things now, "Heeleys" or somesuch, with wheels in the heels. You see young kids rolling along the platforms at Leeds or on the concourse sometimes, with adults usually. Technically they're skating, which isn't covered in the announcement
But then Airlines also say, 'we will be arriving into xxxx Airport in about 40 mins..........' then go on to tell people to use the loo etc.
I can sort of understand them wanting staff to say customer instead of passenger: I guess they think it sounds as if you are a really valued customer as opposed to someone who is just travelling from A to B.
Similarly, by saying service instead of train I suppose they are trying to imply that you are on board something where you get good customer service as opposed to just something that takes you from A to B.
Sometimes you hear both service and train in the same announcement: "Would passengers intending to travel on this service please join the train now." (Personally I would prefer something like "Last call for the xx.xx to X on Platform X. This train is ready to depart." Also, strictly speaking it should be board, not join, the train. Joining the train is what station staff do when they couple the coaches together.)
AndyDeltic19
Member
While not on trains, I get highly frustrated on London buses with the recent spate of "The driver has been instructed to wait here, to even out the service"!!! When you've waited 15 minutes for a service that is advertised as every 8-10 minutes, how the hell can that be necessary? I've had it at a stop before the bus was due to catch the tail of a huge traffic jam that more than did the job and to the point that the next bus ends up only a few metres behind in the same traffic jam. The worst of all though is when I am not quite at the bus stop and see the bus coming, sprint like a maniac to catch it almost giving myself a heart attack, slump down on the first available seat on the bus gasping for breath and THEN it goes....."The driver has been instructed......"!!!
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