Class 333 CIS

[Crossover]

Hey All

A little query after a journey I took this afternoon on a 333 from Shipley to Leeds.

After departing Shipley, the screens said, as expected, that the next stop was Leeds and that the train terminated (333's say it slightly differently but that's the jist anyway).

However, on approach to Leeds, the screens continued to say the same but the annoucement was "We are now on the approach to Connelly (spelling?) where this train terminates" - it actually repeated it a couple of times.

Cue a short pause and then a (probably slightly bemused) guard came on (after probably giving the computer an earful ) and said that we weren't arriving into Connelly (this got a bit of a laugh from the other passengers) and that we were on the approach to Leeds. The screens still said the correct station.

On looking since, the only station of such a name is in Ireland and there is no such station in England, let alone in Yorkshire, so, why on earth did it decide to announce Connelly as the next stop? Also, given that the services go nowhere near, why is such a station actually recorded on their system?

 

[ainsworth74]

On looking since, the only station of such a name is in Ireland and there is no such station in England, let alone in Yorkshire, so, why on earth did it decide to announce Connelly as the next stop? Also, given that the services go nowhere near, why is such a station actually recorded on their system?

It didn't announce Connelly it announced Cononley station which is very much in Yorkshire

 

[Crossover]

Thanks for that ainsworth! That explains that one.

Any idea why the screens showed different to the annoucement that the train made though?

 

[ainsworth74]

Any idea why the screens showed different to the annoucement that the train made though?

No idea the on board announcements do get confused from time to time. I've been on a 170 that was certain that every station we were calling at was Huddersfield (this as we we're east of Leeds heading towards Hull). My personal favorite was on a 444 heading towards Waterloo, the auto announcement said "passengers are advised that on arrival at the next station this service will join another. The doors will remain locked whilst this happens and passengers should remain in their seats" (or words to that effect) this message was repeated a few minutes later as we were just about to arrive. As soon as it played for the second time a manual announcement followed "Dave, we're not joining at Waterloo mate!". Cue a fair bit of laughter in the carriage.

 

[Desiro Fixer]

It sounds like the PIS has lost the GPS co-ordinates and hence will keep announcing the same message as it thinks the train has not moved. It normally "resets" itself once a new train route code is entered

 

[Jordy]

I don't think 333 PIS has GPS (at least it didn't) - hence why it randomly shouts THE NEXT STATION IS SHIPLEY all the way from Leeds - Shipley, if this is still the case it'd explain how it got so easily confused!

 

[Crossover]

The lack of GPS is a possibility considering how early it announced station calls leading us to stand for a few minutes before we actually got to the station in some cases.

I do recall it announcing that the next stop would be Leeds though as we departed Shipley, but got confused on the approach to Leeds.

I also find it quite funny how it announces "This is the xxx train", especially given how it doesn't seem to be able to say Forster properly!

 

[WestCoast]

Ignoring the lack of GPS, I think the 333 voice announcer system can't be beaten for clarity, it sounds like a command from a higher being. So much better than the ATW 175 I'm on now, it keeps saying thank you after every announcement!

 

[Liam]

For a long time Scotrails PIS didn't seem to have Dalgety Bay. On leaving Inverkiething you would get a 'the next station is...', 'we are now approaching...', 'this is.... the next stop is Aberdour.' Or something like that.

I've also been on an Inverness service that announced the previous station, so on aproach to Pitlochry it would annouce Dunkeld and Birnam.

 

[4SRKT]

The CIS used to be be totally crap. You'd be on a train from, say, Bradford to Skipton and it would announce the next station as Burley in Wharfedale, or it would run through the stops backwards. It got to the point where regular users simply ignored all messages, but presumably non-locals were confused and worried by them.

I once got really annoyed and asked the guard why it wasn't switched off if it was patent nonsense. It got switched off on that train after that.

 

[Crossover]

I have to say I was overall pretty impressed with the 333's - kept getting confused when they announced the next services at stations as Northern Rail....completely forgot I was still in Northern territory being on the 333's!

<offtopic> I was going to mention 4SRKT as I was up your neck of the woods when I went on the 333's - changed in the end on all 3 sides of the triange. Have to say I do love Shipley station, however confusing it can be! </offtopic>

 

[WestCoast]

I have to say I was overall pretty impressed with the 333's - kept getting confused when they announced the next services at stations as Northern Rail....completely forgot I was still in Northern territory being on the 333's!

Agreed, they don't feel very "Northern Rail", do they?

My favourite surburban EMUs in the whole country, I think they beat Desiros/Electrostars/Networkers and they are comfortable even in a 3-2 layout.

 

[Crossover]

Agreed, they don't feel very "Northern Rail", do they?

My favourite surburban EMUs in the whole country, I think they beat Desiros/Electrostars/Networkers and they are comfortable even in a 3-2 layout.

Nope, they really don't! Was my first time on tham and aside from having a bit of a laugh at the "This is the Ilkley* train" I thought they were very good and the AC seems to work pretty well on them as well!

Do wonder if the idea with the toilet doors has been replicated elsewhere with them self locking...I can see it potentially causing a few problems!

 

[paulravuslante]

Nope, they really don't! Was my first time on tham and aside from having a bit of a laugh at the "This is the Ilkley* train" I thought they were very good and the AC seems to work pretty well on them as well!

Do wonder if the idea with the toilet doors has been replicated elsewhere with them self locking...I can see it potentially causing a few problems!

Must be the same one as on the 332s as we get a few 'ghosts' in the toilets, locking the door shut.

 

[a1a.a1a]

On the odd occasion I have used the close button when leaving the facility LOL, I always do on other trains - keeps the stench locked in, so its sort of automatic to me

 

[philjo]

I like it when the train announces "the next station is Leeds. this train terminates here" - whilst the train is still in the platform with the doors open at Guiseley.
When you arrive at Leeds from Ilkley & before you have had time to get off it says "welcome to the Skipton train"

 

[Solent&Wessex]

"The next station is Leeds. This train terminates here, please take all your belongings with you" gets repeated 7 times between Shipley and Leeds from memory. The units do not have GPS, the announcements generally being based around the door release /opening sequence. They still seem to get out of sink quite easily, especially when the guard re-releases the doors for some reason which means it thinks it is at the next station. I read in a Northern staff thing I saw that they wanted to replace the system with the same one is on the TPE 185s, which is GPS based and has far more options. Apparently it was too expensive so wasn't going to get done unless someone else paid.

 

[WestCoast]

I read in a Northern staff thing I saw that they wanted to replace the system with the same one is on the TPE 185s, which is GPS based and has far more options. Apparently it was too expensive so wasn't going to get done unless someone else paid.

As long as they don't replace the voice, the 333 guy is really clear! Not that keen on the 185s system, it can announce lots of things and has GPS which is good, but it does sound a little disjointed and the voice isn't as good as the 333s.

I'm surprised Northern hasn't looked to its sister company, Merseyrail. That is a very functional and clear announcement system on the 507/508s, it can announce loads as well!

 

[4SRKT]

As long as they don't replace the voice, the 333 guy is really clear!

The voice can't pronounce/stress 'SoltAIRE', 'CrossFLATTS' or Bradford 'FOSter' Square correctly though, preferring instead the more obvious (more Southern?) but incorrect pronunciations of SAWLTaire, CROSSflatts and Bradford FORSter Square.

 

[WestCoast]

The voice can't pronounce/stress 'SoltAIRE', 'CrossFLATTS' or Bradford 'FOSter' Square correctly though, preferring instead the more obvious (more Southern?) but incorrect pronunciations of SAWLTaire, CROSSflatts and Bradford FORSter Square.

The guy is from Manchester apparently. It's still a brilliant voice compared to the TPE one in my opinion which doesn't pronounce things right like Kirkham & Wesham (Wess-ham, not Wesh-ham).

The voices on stations (we have a sub-forum on here!) pronounce things much more incorrectly than the examples you have given!

Anyway, in the end, what does it matter if it is roughly right. Even people from the local area are bound to pronounce things slightly differently (well, at least in my area they do!).

 

[4SRKT]

Wherever anyone's from it wouldn't be hard to tell them to how to pronounce Saltaire or Wesham properly. Imagine if Northern ever introduced this technology: what kind of hash would the voice make of Slaithwaite or Hall i' th' Wood?

 

[WestCoast]

Wherever anyone's from it wouldn't be hard to tell them to how to pronounce Saltaire or Wesham properly. Imagine if Northern ever introduced this technology: what kind of hash would the voice make of Slaithwaite or Hall i' th' Wood?

Some Northern stations are being fitted out with the Celia auto voice - who is a rather posh lady! Even I had to laugh at some of them!

We discussed this a few weeks ago on another forum and concluded that Standard English is the norm and that's all you can expect. I appreciate the 333 voice, after hearing some of the babbles on other trains about CCTV, toilets, first class tickets and using the escalators safely!

 

[Crossover]

The voice can't pronounce/stress 'SoltAIRE', 'CrossFLATTS' or Bradford 'FOSter' Square correctly though, preferring instead the more obvious (more Southern?) but incorrect pronunciations of SAWLTaire, CROSSflatts and Bradford FORSter Square.

Me and my friend said about some of these pronunciations at the time, especially the Bradford one which we thought should just be pronounced "Foster"

I quite like the TPE 185 announcements myself

I remember when our local buses used to have a next stop system on them...they used to get utterly baffled trying to say Sugar (we have a Sugar Lane stop) where it used to like saying it as Sugeeerrr Lane (phonetically shug-air)!!!

 

[4SRKT]

Some Northern stations are being fitted out with the Celia auto voice - who is a rather posh lady! Even I had to laugh at some of them!

We discussed this a few weeks ago on another forum and concluded that Standard English is the norm and that's all you can expect.

I agree about Standard English for most things but not for placenames, where local pronunciations/stresses are by definition the correct ones. We don't get 'Wor-sester', and the people of Wooster would be justifiably annoyed if we did. Likewise Saltaire places the stress on the second syllable, which is very unusual in English placenames, but nonetheless shouldn't be incorrectly standardised.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

On that topic, should it be Fry-zinghall or Frizz-inghall ?

Not caught a train to Bradford for a while, so can't remember how the 333s pronounce it.

 

[4SRKT]

On that topic, should it be Fry-zinghall or Frizz-inghall ?

Not caught a train to Bradford for a while, so can't remember how the 333s pronounce it.

333s get it correct with Fry-zinghall. They get Keighley correct as well and don't say 'Kay-ley' or 'Kee-ley'.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

333s get it correct with Fry-zinghall. They get Keighley correct as well and don't say 'Kay-ley' or 'Kee-ley'.

Although when NR installed the new announcing system on Leeds station some years back they got it wrong on the station. She originally said Frizz-inghall. Incidentally she also said "CaRstleford" as opposed to the northern style of speaking, and even now still says Bent-ham as opposed to Benth-am.
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The voices on stations (we have a sub-forum on here!) pronounce things much more incorrectly than the examples you have given!

Where?

 

[Tim R-T-C]

333s get it correct with Fry-zinghall. They get Keighley correct as well and don't say 'Kay-ley' or 'Kee-ley'.

Uggg... whenever I have to call a supplier and they bring up my store account, they always say some combination of the latter, no one has ever said Keighley right.

 

[WestCoast]

Where?

It's a private sub-forum but anyone can join who has an interest! Contact Jordy the moderator if you would like to join.

All the voices on the network have names, some are professional voice-over artists and some are employees of TOCs/ATOS.

Anne announces at Leeds and Phil announces on West Yorkshire stations.

The major voices are explained here - thanks to Youtube member THAMESLINK319.

Both are capable of pronouncing things the correct way, but of course they have to be told!

no one has ever said Keighley right.

That is a tricky one of you don't know - it's keith-ley but I suspect those who don't know would say kay-ley.

 

[bluenoxid]

None of you can pronounce it right. It's Keefff-li with three f's because we have to compensate for it. People are improving after it became one of only four words that the woman on Radio 4 had pronounced incorrectly in so many decades.

Like KWVR45 has said they are based on the door opening procedure so fun and games when they have a few signal checks to do.

Did you enjoy the rumour about the 333's being sent down south for the Olympics