-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
"The next stop will be..."
- Thread starter reduke
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
PacerTrain142
On Moderation
Living in the north I do kind of miss the manual guard announcements on Northern Trains rather than a loud computerised voice. Gets a bit repetitive hearing “the next station is..” “This is…” and “when leaving the train here, please mind the gap between the train and platform edge” every two minutes.
Although sometimes on a pacer you could barely hear what the guard was saying because the microphones weren’t very clear and the train was too loud!
Although sometimes on a pacer you could barely hear what the guard was saying because the microphones weren’t very clear and the train was too loud!
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
Does this mean that the awkward and redundant "station stop" phrasing is finally being phased out?
If so, hallelujah!
If so, hallelujah!
Thinking back, "station stop" may actually have been the wording used, but my OCD was more focused on the use of "is" over "will be".
Trying to remember whether it preceded CDL. If so, it was presumably a legal get-out clause to avoid people claiming "but you just said that the next stop would be xyz." when they opened a door and fell out because the train was actually being held outside at a signal. Always though "next scheduled stop" would have been better (as used on DB). With all doors now secure until unlocked, we can probably go back to "next stop".
Exactly what is wrong with 'the next station is'? Using the present tense for pre-determined events is completely normal in English and considered acceptable grammar (e.g. 'Tomorrow is Tuesday').
If anything, 'the next station will be X' is ambiguous and could, perhaps uncharitably, be interpreted as 'X is not yet the next stop in sequence, but it will be in the future'.
If anything, 'the next station will be X' is ambiguous and could, perhaps uncharitably, be interpreted as 'X is not yet the next stop in sequence, but it will be in the future'.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Throwing in the Teutonic perspective, it's recognised that this repetition is a bit annoying, and so for local stopping services you just get "<bong>* station name", only getting a lengthier diatribe at major stations. TfL realised this too - "route N to X" was changed to just "N to X" as they presumably realised the repetition of "route" was a bit annoying and superfluous.
* On some stock "bong" at major stations is replaced by the first bar or two of the Bundesland's anthem, changing as you cross borders, which is a nice quirk.
* On some stock "bong" at major stations is replaced by the first bar or two of the Bundesland's anthem, changing as you cross borders, which is a nice quirk.
Or indeed with the legalistic pedantry that is probably behind some of these changes, the “next station” as the down Flying Scotsman leaves Kings Cross is Finsbury Park even though the train doesn’t stop there.
That is the advantage of standardised stopping patterns and “Line numbers” - you just need to know how far along route RE26 you’ve got. The Berlin S-Bahn’s “next three stations” is quite good as well.
Has this spread beyond the north-east? Only ever came across it in MVP, Brandenburg and Berlin. Very nice little touch. CD employ Smetana in a similar vein in Prague.
norbitonflyer
Established Member
Some pedant probably introduced "Station stop" to cover the possibilities that it might not be the next stop (the train might stop for a red signal before the next station) and/or that it might not be scheduled to call at the next station along the line.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It was REs between Hamburg and Berlin (with a change somewhere, probably Schwerin) I noticed it, so that fits with your experience.
ollyexe2808
Member
Interesting discussion because it has never been an issue for me personally, nor an area of ambiguity. Then again, I am not a grammar pedant - as long as it communicates the point, then I am indifferent. I am one of those people that says Train Station (didn't know some people prefer Railway Station?) And five items or less at a supermarket.
I wonder if some of it (particularly the automation of announcements) is just down to evolving language use?
I wonder if some of it (particularly the automation of announcements) is just down to evolving language use?
Trainguy34
Member
Unless there are multiple routes from a station to another. Example: Victoria - Dover Priory via Ashford International Or: Victoria - Dover Priory via Chatham. At Victoria, both would say "This train is for Dover Priory. The next stop is Bromley South." Unless they added in a "via *insert Station name here*" section. Also if there are fast services on a route. I agree it would be nice though.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
That's what Merseyrail uses for its trains, with longer announcements at a few key stations (entering tunnels and the central section/loop).
"see it say it sorted" announcements are also reserved for these stations.
Adjacent TfW continues the full diatribe, including thank you, at pretty much every station, and in both languages.
The new large-format PIS screens on trains can carry this information, and should do away with most of the routine spoken stuff.
This seems to be the case on TPE at least.
Last edited:
As a frequent traveller on foreign trains I'm acutely aware of the need to use clear simple language when announcing stops. I go 100% for "the next station is". Even people with only a phrasebook will have mugged up on the word "station". I hate with a vengeance the CrossCountry nonsense of "the next calling point is".
I looked "calling" up in a respected dictionary. It's main definition was "a religious vocation". They couldn't try harder to make it difficult for visitors, could they?
I looked "calling" up in a respected dictionary. It's main definition was "a religious vocation". They couldn't try harder to make it difficult for visitors, could they?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
The more annoying and confusing one with XC is the use of "principal stations" when it's just a list of all of them. I get that TfW use it on long rural routes with request stops and mention those separately, which makes some level of sense, but that's different.
robert thomas
Member
Avoid Cardiff Central then. If they switch to manual announcements you are likely to be told that the next train on platform 6 is"your Bargoed" etc
devon_belle
Member
On the subject, SWR's onboard "This train is now approaching <stop x>" seems totally redundant to me. Which other train would it be!
J-2739
Established Member
They do include the via sections on the Metrolink.
I feel that would get annoying very quickly and would be inaccurate in the case of a platform alteration
That presupposes that the PIS has access to the route setting or that the driver had nothing better to do. I think the German ones used to be manual triggered by the driver pressing the door release button.
The Underground does it.
How many platform alterations on the underground?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Noting that it's normal practice in Germany to press the open button on approach so the doors open as soon as the wheels stop. That'd never be accepted here in 2023.
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Not really adjacent - the platforms at Baker St where you might end up with a changed platform are the ones with trains that don't go to Edgware Road.
Siemens Trains
Member
- Joined
- 29 Nov 2018
- Messages
- 626
Have you deliberately included question marks at the end of statements to irritate those who are highly offended by such things? If not, I envy your indifference and tolerance of such abominations!
Perhaps you elevate the pitch of your voice at the end of spoken statements, make them sound like questions too. This has annoyed a large number of people for a long time. I don't believe I've witnessed the habit in either recorded or manual train announcements but maybe it happens? That was deliberate on my part by the way, as a way of inviting a reaction. Quite hideous.
- Status