Are drivers allowed to make non-service related announcements while on the move?

[George109]

From this tweet in reply to somebody praising a Southern driver about the announcements:

Oh god not another one :roll: announcements on the move are against the safety rules, ideal chit chat is unprofessional. He will be disciplined

(The first emoji is a rolling eyes emoji and the 2nd one is a thumbs up for those who cannot see it)

Having a quick look through this person's tweets implies he is a train driver, hence me wondering if this a sarcarstic reply? Or is it actually true?

Is making non-service related announcements (e.g. the Time Tunnel Train driver - Where you have to guess the year on twitter as the driver makes annoucements based on that year, so "this was the year of the London Olympics" and the answer is 2012 etc) while moving allowed?

 

[ComUtoR]

It is being more an more frowned upon. It is down to company policy.

It's is considered to be a distraction and can be a contributing factor in a SPAD and other Safety of the line incidents. Best advice is to not do it.

 

[BestWestern]

"Ideal chit chat"

 

[Gemz91]

I don't understand Twitter. Is that Southern replying saying the driver will be disciplined, or just a random person?

 

[Darandio]

I don't understand Twitter. Is that Southern replying saying the driver will be disciplined, or just a random person?

Random person, apparently reported the driver too. I'll bet they weren't even on the train.

 

[Gemz91]

Random person, apparently reported the driver too. I'll bet they weren't even on the train.

Thought so, cheers for clearing it up though.

 

[robbeech]

A light hearted service message that maybe includes a joke from the driver (when it is his or her job) ought to be acceptable, they'll only make them when it is safe to do so anyway, but I think anything that is not service information is asking for trouble, now if the service has a guard and they are not occupied by their other duties then I feel this isn't too much of an issue, from a safety point of view at least. Having never been in the cab of a train when an announcement is made, does the driver hear all the announcements made by the guard too?

 

[LowLevel]

Our drivers are now even heavily discouraged from using the GSMR radio to talk to maintenance control on the move - becoming more of a concern with technology rather than less as they become used to it, which is a bit surprising to me. Several drivers have had talkings to over it. Apparently the only people the driver should be talking to on the move now are the signaller if it's urgent or their guard with both parties using their route knowledge to determine if it's an appropriate time to talk.

 

[coxxy]

It is being more an more frowned upon. It is down to company policy.

It's is considered to be a distraction and can be a contributing factor in a SPAD and other Safety of the line incidents. Best advice is to not do it.

Any driver worth his salt wouldn't even dream of touching a PA when on cautionary aspects or in complex situations..

 

[ComUtoR]

Any driver worth his salt wouldn't even dream of touching a PA when on cautionary aspects or in complex situations..

Got to call that BS. It's not hard to do and has been done for years and years. It is a recent phenomenon that it is being discouraged more and more.

Any Driver worth his salt has the ability to do it. It ain't hard. Blame culture has contributed heavily to the changes to both GSMR and PA's

The entire debate has come up before and there is no real consensus.

Policy is dictating whether we do it or not.

 

[JackTheLad]

You can look up this driver's announcements up on youtube where people have recorded him and quite frankly he is hilarious!... Especially love the one where he switches the passenger cabin lights off on a class 455 and makes ghost noises down the PA

 

[trainophile]

Our drivers are now even heavily discouraged from using the GSMR radio to talk to maintenance control on the move - becoming more of a concern with technology rather than less as they become used to it, which is a bit surprising to me. Several drivers have had talkings to over it. Apparently the only people the driver should be talking to on the move now are the signaller if it's urgent or their guard with both parties using their route knowledge to determine if it's an appropriate time to talk.

When I found myself locked in the loo on a TPE 185, the only option available was the button to talk to driver, so I had to use it. The driver said he would get the guard to sort the problem out. I was quite surprised this conversation had to be had via the driver, who presumably was concentrating on the job of driving.

 

[313103]

When I found myself locked in the loo on a TPE 185, the only option available was the button to talk to driver, so I had to use it. The driver said he would get the guard to sort the problem out. I was quite surprised this conversation had to be had via the driver, who presumably was concentrating on the job of driving.

That is because trains since the 1990s have been designed with the driver being the only member of staff on board.

 

[dk1]

We can do what we want over the PA within reason. Nobody has ever challenged me.

 

[LowLevel]

That is because trains since the 1990s have been designed with the driver being the only member of staff on board.

Which is why I was enormously surprised when, upon receiving 2020 disability compliant call for aids, the ones on our 158s instead play an alarm in all of the cabs and the train saying 'attention conductor, call for aid has been operated' !

To be fair, the driver is always going to be near a handset for if it's urgent and the guard might be some distance away.

 

[GW43125]

When I found myself locked in the loo on a TPE 185, the only option available was the button to talk to driver, so I had to use it. The driver said he would get the guard to sort the problem out. I was quite surprised this conversation had to be had via the driver, who presumably was concentrating on the job of driving.

It's probably based on the thought process that the guard could be anywhere on the train, but the driver will always be in the cab.

 

[theageofthetra]

Wouldn't talk to anyone whilst moving . Not worth the risk. Driving in a Metro environment a scheduled stop isn't far away.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Which is why I was enormously surprised when, upon receiving 2020 disability compliant call for aids, the ones on our 158s instead play an alarm in all of the cabs and the train saying 'attention conductor, call for aid has been operated' !

To be fair, the driver is always going to be near a handset for if it's urgent and the guard might be some distance away.

If your TOC has any 3 car 158s (not hybrid ones), does it also sound something over the PA in case the conductor is in the middle coach?

 

[Envoy]

I would welcome relevant announcements from drivers such as:- “We have arrived a few minutes early outside xxx and have to wait for an available platform”. “I am sorry for the slow running of this service at the moment. This is because of a stopping service ahead of us which we will soon be able to overtake”.

So, serious announcements that are informative made by those with clear speech are welcome. Airline pilots do that from time to time. Constant talking and telling jokes - no.

 

[Western Lord]

As regards talking and driving at the same time, The IAM advanced driving test requires the driver to give a commentary of what's happening around him as he drives.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

As regards talking and driving at the same time, The IAM advanced driving test requires the driver to give a commentary of what's happening around him as he drives.

Also I believe that GWR drivers are required to give a commentary about any risks, (caution or danger aspects, speed limit changes, aws activations, etc) during their first year after qualifying as a driver. It was on a cab view dvd from a couple of years ago that I saw that they had to do it so have no idea if that still holds true, any GWR drivers able to confirm one way or the other?

 

[delt1c]

The world has gone mad. yes we need rules but where does it end. If there is a conductor ( not ticket collector style but conductor for unsigned routes) in the cab with the driver and they talk is this a distraction?
In this world it will soon be a disiplinary offence to fart in the cab as the noise or aroma will be viewed as a distraction.

 

[ComUtoR]

As regards talking and driving at the same time, The IAM advanced driving test requires the driver to give a commentary of what's happening around him as he drives.

The equivalent car driving analogy would be talking on your mobile phone.

 

[tsr]

Southern drivers (and such conductors which remain) are required to be able to deliver a risk-focused commentary whilst working. It is a recommended tool for a number of scenarios, and although it makes you sound bonkers if you're in front of a passenger, it tends to work.

As for the driver in question - Southern has had a few talkative drivers on their books for the last few years, on and off. Driver managers occasionally do become a bit uneasy about it at first, if they think the driver is distracting themselves, which I can understand - but if the driver carries on driving for months and years without incident, their managers generally do shift to taking it very well, and indeed several drivers have been strongly commended for keeping passengers entertained and informed. If this is the driver who I think it is (and I can't tell for certain via social media, of course), then it's probably the latter. Disciplined for someone tweeting that they've said something funny on the PA though? Probably no chance, unless it was highly inappropriate.

 

[ComUtoR]

In this world it will soon be a disiplinary offence to fart in the cab as the noise or aroma will be viewed as a distraction.

Just wait till the inward facing CCTV starts to come into force. It has a microphone in the cab too

If there is a conductor in the cab with the driver and they talk is this a distraction?

Yes. There are numerous incidents at my TOC with such distractions as a contributory factor. It is also part of the reasons why access to the cab is restricted so highly. Cab pass/competent person or GTFO. Also why commentary driving is used when someone else is in the cab

The world has gone mad.

Yes, yes it has.

 

[LowLevel]

If your TOC has any 3 car 158s (not hybrid ones), does it also sound something over the PA in case the conductor is in the middle coach?

It doesn't but yes it does, that's what I meant by in the train, could have been a bit clearer!

If you get an unrefurbished unit coupled to a refurbished unit it also makes the announcements in the unrefurbished unit - but you need to cancel it using the handset in the refurbished unit which means at present either the driver or guard ends up doing it.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

You can look up this driver's announcements up on youtube where people have recorded him and quite frankly he is hilarious!... Especially love the one where he switches the passenger cabin lights off on a class 455 and makes ghost noises down the PA

This one?

[youtube]9A4Xy3OWozA[/youtube]

 

[RichardN]

If this is the driver who I think it is (and I can't tell for certain via social media, of course), then it's probably the latter. Disciplined for someone tweeting that they've said something funny on the PA though? Probably no chance, unless it was highly inappropriate.

SouthernRailUK replied to the tweet saying "The driver in question did actually win an award for Driver of the Year."

 

[jon0844]

I would welcome relevant announcements from drivers such as:- “We have arrived a few minutes early outside xxx and have to wait for an available platform”. “I am sorry for the slow running of this service at the moment. This is because of a stopping service ahead of us which we will soon be able to overtake”.

Many GN drivers do exactly these (approaching King's Cross, often saying what platform too once shown on the gantry, and when stuck behind a WGC stopper around Welham Green or Hatfield). It's more common than I remember in previous years, so I wonder if they're actively told to do these?

You still get the odd driver that doesn't do a safety briefing before starting (and where there's no CIS), and the train isn't even moving at that point. But it's quite rare.

 

[Clip]

I cant pass comment on the actual thread in question as not a drievr and wouldnt know about whether it is a distraction but the Twitter user in the OP is properly up himself a bit. Pompous know it all.