Trains told to get rid of torrent of 'Tannoy spam'

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe there's a case for localising the message. Just imagine a geordie version, changing of course when crossing the Wear.

"If yer see it, keep yer nose out, it's none of yer effing business, yer effing grass" in a certain North West city, perhaps?

 

[Dr_Paul]

I sort of quite like the way ever-a-bit-posh Chiltern have gentrified it to "If you see it, say it and we'll sort it". Can't have incomplete sentences and chavvy terms like "sorted, innit" in leafy Buckinghamshire!

Surely away from the gor blimey London accent, the word 'sorted' by itself means to put into categories, and that what really should be said is 'we'll sort it out' in the sense of a problem being put right, solved, dealt with accordingly, etc. As it is, I, a Londoner, have never used the single word 'sorted' in the sense of the infamous announcement. Perhaps it's my age.

I'm disappointed that the forum has not yet managed an Alan Partridge-esque comment on the use of the word "Tannoy"

That clip is a gem. Indeed, the Tannoy company used to be infamous for sending pompous letters to newspapers and magazines complaining about the use of their company name as a generic term for public address systems. I would have thought that they would have happy with the free advertising that such use of their name brought about, but there we are...

 

[Bletchleyite]

That clip is a gem. Indeed, the Tannoy company used to be infamous for sending pompous letters to newspapers and magazines complaining about the use of their company name as a generic term for public address systems. I would have thought that they would have happy with the free advertising that such use of their name brought about, but there we are...

The reason for this (and similarly why the Hoover Company never liked the genericisation of their vacuum cleaner brand, and countless other examples) is that if a trademark is accepted as genericised (i.e. the term has become the dictionary word for that type of product, a bit like for example the word "tarmac" which is a brand of asphalt-based road covering, but everyone just calls it "tarmac"), the rights to defend it from misuse by others become limited or non-existent. So in order to protect their shareholders' interests, as the Board of a public company are essentially required to do by law, they have no real choice but to do this.

It's also why you often see on packaging wording like:

HOOVER
brand vacuum cleaner

 

[AM9]

Surely away from the gor blimey London accent, the word 'sorted' by itself means to put into categories, and that what really should be said is 'we'll sort it out' in the sense of a problem being put right, solved, dealt with accordingly, etc. As it is, I, a Londoner, have never used the single word 'sorted' in the sense of the infamous announcement. Perhaps it's my age.


That clip is a gem. Indeed, the Tannoy company used to be infamous for sending pompous letters to newspapers and magazines complaining about the use of their company name as a generic term for public address systems. I would have thought that they would have happy with the free advertising that such use of their name brought about, but there we are...

It depends on when this happened. When I was growing up on the '60s, Tannoy had a reputation for quite good hi-fi speakers and I suspect that their PA system business was hardly a main income stream by then.

 

[sjm77]

A few months ago I was waiting for a train at Deansgate and the following announcements were all made within 5 minutes.

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 7 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

I wanted to kill somebody by the time the bloody train arrived

 

[seagull]

There is a Welsh version of the world's most irritating announcement:

"Wedi sylwi, wedi sôn, wedi setlo".

Roughly equivalent (noticed it, mentioned it, settled it) and equally annoying.

 

[Berliner]

A few months ago I was waiting for a train at Deansgate and the following announcements were all made within 5 minutes.

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 7 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

I wanted to kill somebody by the time the bloody train arrived

You'll still get people saying "We were given no information at all", as is often the default moan when transportation delays are happening.

 

[Horizon22]

Ambulance-chasing lawyers are often cited as a reason for tannoy spam. But what recent cases are there?

e.g. of a passenger injury through not 'minding the gap', where they claim that they were not warned.

(I'm not disputing what you say BTW, as I think the reasoning is very feasible, given wider social trends. But I'm just curious.)

It happens a fair bit. Slips, trips and falls are a common issue for some sort of litigation attempt. This is why the “take care as some surfaces may be slippery” announcement goes out when it’s raining. Obvious to many but still required. The tactile paving one was a recommendation from RAIB after the Eden Park fatality. Then there’s others about doors closing before departure time. Then there’s general safety announcements. Maybe something about engineering works too. That’s 4-5 already which id say is on the low side. Plus they have to be done at mandated intervals (say 3-4 times an hour). Add in standard departure / delay announcements and it’s easy to see how these things build up even though there’s no intention for them too

 

[FQ]

I couldn’t take Shapps’ advert seriously what a certain forum member constantly popping up in his ear At least the world finally knows who the safety guy on Northern is

 

[geoffk]

Since moving to GWR land I've discovered the "please use the handrail" message which seems to be activated once you step on to a footbridge.

 

[plugwash]

The problem IMO in times of disruption is not that there is no information at all, but that the information isn't reliable.

I've sat on platform 13 at picadilly for nearly 2 hours one evening while a train's expected departure time was pushed back a few minuites at a time, then when it became nearly an hour late it was cancelled. Then the train behind started getting pushed back in the same way.

If we had been told that nothing was going to happen for nearly two hours I would have made other arrangements (probablly a train to stockport and a bus home) but because it was only a few minuites at a time I never had the opertunity to do that.

Likewise we hear in other threads of platform alterations that are only announced a minuite or two before the train arrives, leaving to large rushes of people at best and missed trains at worst.

 

[RH Liner]

The problem IMO in times of disruption is not that there is no information at all, but that the information isn't reliable.

I've sat on platform 13 at picadilly for nearly 2 hours one evening while a train's expected departure time was pushed back a few minuites at a time, then when it became nearly an hour late it was cancelled. Then the train behind started getting pushed back in the same way.

If we had been told that nothing was going to happen for nearly two hours I would have made other arrangements (probablly a train to stockport and a bus home) but because it was only a few minuites at a time I never had the opertunity to do that.

Likewise we hear in other threads of platform alterations that are only announced a minuite or two before the train arrives, leaving to large rushes of people at best and missed trains at worst.

Slightly off topic, but the last bit of that post reminds me of a story my old boss used to tell, about a group of soldiers bound for Liverpool in wartime. The Liverpool train was in the station ready for departure, and was bursting at the seams. ‘Don’t worry,’ said one of the platoon, I’ll get us seats.’ He then positioned himself alongside a full carriage and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Liverpool train platform 5’. The carriage promptly emptied. ‘Right lads, come on!’

 

[mlambeuk]

Being only 50% hearing (can only hear in one ear) i find the constant bombardment of announcements extremely annoying especially when they're close together.

 

[Goldfish62]

Welcome of course, but it does show the bizarre state that our railways are in that a government minister is micromanaging to this degree.

 

[Howardh]

Good. One of the most annoying things about our "new" trains in Northernland is the over-loud speakers and the constant barrage of spam announcements. So much so the minute I step on a train I put my earphones in so I can block the announcements out. So it's doing the opposite of what is intended.

Whoever came up with "see it, say it, sort it" needs strapping down and forced to listen to it endlessly until they admit it's annoying and agree to "stop hearing it, say no more, shut it off".

 

[DanNCL]

Clearly this was a scheduled 'get partygate off the front pages for 30 seconds' attempt by the Tories, except they didn't need it today, Putin and Biden arguing over Ukraine has done that for them!

 

[Brush 4]

I think their should be outdated regional stereotype announcements. On commuter lines in Surrey..... 'I say, sorry to interrupt your perusal of the Times but, if you should happen to notice something that looks a trifle suspicious, a socialist perhaps, would you mind awfully informing the guard. Observe, inform, jolly good show, Thanks awfully'

 

[ExRes]

Being only 50% hearing (can only hear in one ear) i find the constant bombardment of announcements extremely annoying especially when they're close together.

Me too, what I do though is stick a finger in my good ear and that's job done, no announcements, works at home as well of course

Overall though what I've read of this thread is extremely repetitive, rather ironic considering the subject

 

[APT618S]

Since moving to GWR land I've discovered the "please use the handrail" message which seems to be activated once you step on to a footbridge.

This was still playing at Oxford the other day after the handrails had just been repainted alongside lots of tape / bollards / signs stating "Wet Paint"

 

[Meridian richard]

On a suburban/commuter route, all that’s needed is

Now arriving at…. Please take care when leaving the train
This is…. the next station is

‘Please take care when leaving the train’ is completely unnecessary.

I wasn’t intending to leave the train recklessly but the announcement made me change my mind. There’s no common sense!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jan 2022 ==

Since we’re on the subject... best and worst TOC’s for announcements?

I’ve always found EMR to be rather adequate.

Transpennine however are horrific! Every station repeating the auto-announcement!

 

[Sheridan]

There is a Welsh version of the world's most irritating announcement:

"Wedi sylwi, wedi sôn, wedi setlo".

Roughly equivalent (noticed it, mentioned it, settled it) and equally annoying.

At least all three are the same tense in Welsh!
On the subject of annoying TfW announcements, even if it’s outside the scope of this thread, on the Mk4s, if you’re running late, the system automatically tells you how late you are (if it’s over 5 minutes), and apologises for this, but as many of the timings have no slack, if you leave one station 7 minutes late, you’ll arrive at the next one 7 late (at least), yet this auto announcement repeats every few minutes, for a period of an hour or more! (However long it takes to get back on time, if at all.)

 

[alxndr]

While some of the announcements are useless to pretty much everyone and have no value to them at all, it's worth remembering that accessibility should be far more important than removing a minor annoyance.

Not to mention that we should be encouraging people to use the railway, even including those who do not do so regularly, or may never have done so before. People are put off by not knowing if they'll manage to navigate it and get to where they're going without mishap, we don't need to raise the barrier for entry and make them learn all sorts of codes or Takts. They won't learn it, they'll just choose to drive, or not go at all. Even just giving the final destination is a problem, my mother has no idea that Swindon is en route to Bristol, Wales, or Cornwall. She certainly doesn't know where Cheltenham is. Having an announcement that positively confirmed she was on the train to Swindon would greatly reassure her (if she was ever to wish to visit me that is).

 

[SLC001]

I refer to my earlier comment, accessibility includes the needs of those with hearing difficulties and find background noise excruciating. I use the last word deliberately. People with hearing difficulties are often overlooked while the more obvious infirmities are generally better catered for. (In life generally, how many hearing loops are actually working? Are staff trained in how to use them?)

 

[CBlue]

While some of the announcements are useless to pretty much everyone and have no value to them at all, it's worth remembering that accessibility should be far more important than removing a minor annoyance.

Not to mention that we should be encouraging people to use the railway, even including those who do not do so regularly, or may never have done so before. People are put off by not knowing if they'll manage to navigate it and get to where they're going without mishap, we don't need to raise the barrier for entry and make them learn all sorts of codes or Takts. They won't learn it, they'll just choose to drive, or not go at all. Even just giving the final destination is a problem, my mother has no idea that Swindon is en route to Bristol, Wales, or Cornwall. She certainly doesn't know where Cheltenham is. Having an announcement that positively confirmed she was on the train to Swindon would greatly reassure her (if she was ever to wish to visit me that is).

Quite true. Sometimes it feels like a vocal minority of "enthusiasts" would rather everyone else **** off so they can have train services to themselves and not have to share public transport with...err, the public.

Removing announcements for such things as where the train stops en route is a key part of encouraging people to use the services - especially if it's a service they haven't used before!

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

‘Please take care when leaving the train’ is completely unnecessary.

I wasn’t intending to leave the train recklessly but the announcement made me change my mind. There’s no common sense!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jan 2022 ==

Since we’re on the subject... best and worst TOC’s for announcements?

I’ve always found EMR to be rather adequate.

Transpennine however are horrific! Every station repeating the auto-announcement!

If I have been on a warm train for hours being warned to take special care on a slippery wet platform in the dark would be welcome. If it saves one fall it is worth it.

Perhaps some of us should be glad that the UK only has one main language in most areas.
I love the Welsh announcements myself ☺

 

[londonmidland]

Manchester Piccadilly platforms 13 & 14 suffer an awful lot of manual override of the announcements from the staff using handheld mics. Needs to stop as it adds nothing apart from noise pollution and reduced quality.

*Auto announcement plays for train approaching platform - halfway through it is cut out by someone on the platform with a mic saying the exact same thing*

“Platform 13…for the, err, fourteeeeeen, err, fifty-five Northern service to..” as well as “STAND be’ind RED LINE”

Sometimes the announcements are cut out without anyone even announcing anything. Really don’t understand why they do this.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It does seem P13 and 14 have inherited the "wibbling running commentary" that serves as an irritant on most Metropolitan Line stations when dispatchers are in use. "ThisisaMetropolitanLinetraincallingallstationstoAldgatestandclearofthedoorsmindthedoorsmindthedoors"...SHUT UP!

 

[tbtc]

A few months ago I was waiting for a train at Deansgate and the following announcements were all made within 5 minutes.

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 7 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 8 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

"The 08:22 to Manchester Airport has been delayed and is now running 9 minutes late. We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused"

I wanted to kill somebody by the time the bloody train arrived

I appreciate that it's annoying but (genuinely) what's the alternative?

The expected arrival time of a train already running will vary as it catches up some time but then loses time due to longer dwells or having missed it's slot at a junction.

For example, today's Aberdeen to Plymouth was five minutes late at Kirkcaldy, but a couple of minutes early as it headed towards Dunbar... but back to being five late as it entered South Yorkshire then slightly early on approach to Sheffield... https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L11855/2022-01-21/detailed#allox_id=0

...so is it better that announcements (about a train that was due to arrive into your station shortly) get made about the fact that the arrival time is anticipated to have changed only if they vary by five minutes?

If you are waiting on your train you'd want to know if it was going to be going to be late, but where do you draw the line in terms of updating people - I don't know

I wouldn't expect passengers at Totnes to get told at half ten in the morning that the 19:19 to Plymouth was currently five minutes late somewhere in Fife, that'd be ridiculous, but if we are within five minutes of the expected arrival time then I guess I'd want to be informed of it changing by a couple of minutes - in some circumstances it might mean I change my travel plans and take a service that was expected to be overtaken by my intended train en-route

While some of the announcements are useless to pretty much everyone and have no value to them at all, it's worth remembering that accessibility should be far more important than removing a minor annoyance.

Not to mention that we should be encouraging people to use the railway, even including those who do not do so regularly, or may never have done so before. People are put off by not knowing if they'll manage to navigate it and get to where they're going without mishap, we don't need to raise the barrier for entry and make them learn all sorts of codes or Takts. They won't learn it, they'll just choose to drive, or not go at all. Even just giving the final destination is a problem, my mother has no idea that Swindon is en route to Bristol, Wales, or Cornwall. She certainly doesn't know where Cheltenham is. Having an announcement that positively confirmed she was on the train to Swindon would greatly reassure her (if she was ever to wish to visit me that is).

Quite true. Sometimes it feels like a vocal minority of "enthusiasts" would rather everyone else **** off so they can have train services to themselves and not have to share public transport with...err, the public.

Removing announcements for such things as where the train stops en route is a key part of encouraging people to use the services - especially if it's a service they haven't used before!

Agreed - some people are experienced train travellers who can't always empathise with inexperienced passengers - same with threads where people argue about removing some accessible toilets to squeeze in a couple more seats

 

[johntea]

It does seem P13 and 14 have inherited the "wibbling running commentary" that serves as an irritant on most Metropolitan Line stations when dispatchers are in use. "ThisisaMetropolitanLinetraincallingallstationstoAldgatestandclearofthedoorsmindthedoorsmindthedoors"...SHUT UP!

An interesting announcement I heard when I was recently on the Underground was 'beggars are operating on this service please do not encourage them' (not exact wording by any means!) - I assume that is an automated announcement unless a driver clocked a known beggar had boarded (as coincidentally enough there was one roaming up and down the service at the time!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

An interesting announcement I heard when I was recently on the Underground was 'beggars are operating on this service please do not encourage them' (not exact wording by any means!) - I assume that is an automated announcement unless a driver clocked a known beggar had boarded (as coincidentally enough there was one roaming up and down the service at the time!)

I have only ever heard that when there was one, so I guess the driver noticed.