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Out of time announcements.

Bevan Price

Bevan Price

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"There will be no Northern rail services on March 1st due to industrial action; there may also be some disruptions from 28 February to 2 March".

(wording may not be exact)
A potentially informative announcement on Northern trains -- except that it was still being played on Saturday 9 March (on 331.107).
Do depots ever chack that automated announcements are still applicable?
 
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The exile

The exile

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Sometime last week, my GWR turbo advised me that services would be subject to amendment “over the festive season”. Thanks for the warning, GW - I imagine you’ll be publishing the details in about 7 months’ time!
 
B

Blindtraveler

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Nowhere near enough to a Pacer :(
Presumably a manager somewhere has instructed that the trains PIS should be updated to play such warnings but hasn't issued a direct order for them to be removed after their used by date had expired, and given that depo staff are overstretched they probably don't think too do it until customer relations ring them up and say that we're getting complaints on Facebook about announcements telling people to check the festive timetable or whatever
 
The exile

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Blindtraveler said:
Presumably a manager somewhere has instructed that the trains PIS should be updated to play such warnings but hasn't issued a direct order for them to be removed after their used by date had expired, and given that depo staff are overstretched they probably don't think too do it until customer relations ring them up and say that we're getting complaints on Facebook about announcements telling people to check the festive timetable or whatever
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Suspect it was just a blip- haven’t heard it on any others. Unless , that is, someone has decided it might offend someone to refer to “Easter” so has gone for a bland, meaningless replacement….
 
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skyhigh

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Blindtraveler said:
Presumably a manager somewhere has instructed that the trains PIS should be updated to play such warnings but hasn't issued a direct order for them to be removed after their used by date had expired, and given that depo staff are overstretched they probably don't think too do it until customer relations ring them up and say that we're getting complaints on Facebook about announcements telling people to check the festive timetable or whatever
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This is completely untrue.
 
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Oxfordblues

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At Preston Powerbox in the 1970s we had a station announcer who was not the most alert at times. He had the awkward habit of announcing trains just after they had departed!
 
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skyhigh

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CarrotPie said:
And what evidence do you have to support that?
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Because I know how the system is set up. For whatever reason the specific unit has missed the kill command for the announcement. I would bet money that it's on an older software version.

On exam the screens/PA are tested by a specific test function available through the TCMS, it's not done by entering a headcode into the system and listening to announcements. Hence unless reported by crew or it's noticed that the unit isn't reporting via the backend system it'll continue the last instruction.

Do you have any evidence otherwise?
 
ValleyLines142

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GWR IETs. On Cheltenham to Paddingtons when it announces 'we are now approaching Gloucester' when the train has barely gone through Churchdown or 'we are now approaching Stonehouse' when the train hasn't even reached Standish Junction!
 
C

cjbirkett

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150 125 and 331 013 were both still making this announcement on 5th March during journeys between Liverpool and Wigan. Presumably both units still with old software
 
T

Taunton

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Even on the all-automated DLR there's one station where the automated platform announcements for one direction are out of sync, stating "train approaching" just as its doors are about to close, and then further announcing its arrival as it departs. Seems it was upset when announcements there were changed, a while ago. I've tried to work out why, seems they have been tied to the wrong track locations.

Shall we let the DLR team have to work out which one?
 
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RedPostJunc

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On a train from Basingstoke to Exeter at the weekend, which had been cancelled from Waterloo to Basingstoke - the stock actually came out of Barton Mills Carriage sidings. As the train left Basingstoke, the "Welcome aboard" announcement told passengers, "this train will be calling at Woking, Basingstoke, Andover, Salisbury ...". The guard had apologized in advance for the announcement. Is there no way for the guard to reset the announcement?

I am always surprised that the "welcome aboard" announcement is not played while the train is waiting in the station, to give passengers who have joined the wrong train the chance to get off before the train leaves. While I accept that this may not be possible at smaller stations, due to short waiting times, it would be possible where the train waits for a minute or more. This is typically at large stations, where passengers are more likely to board the wrong train.
 
Ashley Hill

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RedPostJunc said:
On a train from Basingstoke to Exeter at the weekend, which had been cancelled from Waterloo to Basingstoke - the stock actually came out of Barton Mills Carriage sidings. As the train left Basingstoke, the "Welcome aboard" announcement told passengers, "this train will be calling at Woking, Basingstoke, Andover, Salisbury ...". The guard had apologized in advance for the announcement. Is there no way for the guard to reset the announcement?
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There is but whether they knew how to alter the start station is another matter.
 
CarrotPie

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RedPostJunc said:
I am always surprised that the "welcome aboard" announcement is not played while the train is waiting in the station, to give passengers who have joined the wrong train the chance to get off before the train leaves. While I accept that this may not be possible at smaller stations, due to short waiting times, it would be possible where the train waits for a minute or more. This is typically at large stations, where passengers are more likely to board the wrong train.
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It is/was on Southeastern, at least.
 
T

talldave

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skyhigh said:
Because I know how the system is set up. For whatever reason the specific unit has missed the kill command for the announcement. I would bet money that it's on an older software version.

On exam the screens/PA are tested by a specific test function available through the TCMS, it's not done by entering a headcode into the system and listening to announcements. Hence unless reported by crew or it's noticed that the unit isn't reporting via the backend system it'll continue the last instruction.

Do you have any evidence otherwise?
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A well designed system would presumably have the validity start and end dates/times coded when the announcement was loaded and then it would just die automatically.

Are you saying everything continues to be played until it's proactively killed?
 
Horizon22

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ValleyLines142 said:
GWR IETs. On Cheltenham to Paddingtons when it announces 'we are now approaching Gloucester' when the train has barely gone through Churchdown or 'we are now approaching Stonehouse' when the train hasn't even reached Standish Junction!
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That will just be a berth or GPS triggered announcement and is set accordingly.

Ashley Hill said:
There is but whether they knew how to alter the start station is another matter.
Click to expand...

Yes you can often do a lot with information systems (both on board and at stations) but they can be fiddly and technical and not everyone is an expert on getting them to conform, or doesn't have the time to do so.
 
A

AMD

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skyhigh said:
For whatever reason the specific unit has missed the kill command for the announcement. I would bet money that it's on an older software version.
Click to expand...
On the legacy fleet (15x types) it'll probably be the TrainFX units that don't tend to listen to the commands coming down, indicates that the unit needs a new SIM card, which is a depot visit.
 
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