Have Virgin Trains dropped automated announcements?

[whhistle]

They seem to have brought them in at Stockport station now as well

Stockport is the test station.
They're rolling out to all VT stations in the next few years.

 

[adrock1976]

A thing I have found with these recently new automated onboard announcements are that it does not mention "Change here for services to x,y, or z".

For example, it should announce "This train is now arriving at Preston. Change here for services to Blackpool, Blackburn, Bradford, Colne, and Ormskirk"

This would be far more useful than the current announcements of "We will be shortly arriving at x. (Then male voice blurb). Thank you for travelling with Virgin Trains", which gives the impression of reaching a junction or interchange station and being told to sod off now as onward connections are not operated by VTWC.

 

[All Line Rover]

This would be far more useful than the current announcements of "We will be shortly arriving at x. (Then male voice blurb). Thank you for travelling with Virgin Trains", which gives the impression of reaching a junction or interchange station and being told to sod off now as onward connections are not operated by VTWC.

If we're talking about intermediate stations, then considering the VTWC service will likely already be sufficiently late to break most convenient connections, it's probably best for VTWC to keep quiet!

 

[fowler9]

Where do you draw the line? For example you are changing at Crewe and you don't know it is where you need to get off, perhaps they should announce every possibly place you could get off a train from Crewe?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Where do you draw the line? For example you are changing at Crewe and you don't know it is where you need to get off, perhaps they should announce every possibly place you could get off a train from Crewe?

They should do a German-style "Ihre naechsten Reisemoeglichkeiten" announcement from the PIS data - the next few departures to key destinations. Indeed, some VT staff appear to be doing this manually from RTT on their phone.

 

[dgl]

As has been said before SWT does it correctly saying I.e. "welcome aboard this south west trains service calling at Weymouth only", quick and straight to the point.

Sent from my Lumia 625 using Tapatalk

 

[Carlisle]

A thing I have found with these recently new automated onboard announcements are that it does not mention "Change here for services to x,y, or z".

For example, it should announce "This train is now arriving at Preston. Change here for services to Blackpool, Blackburn, Bradford, Colne, and Ormskirk"

This would be far more useful than the current announcements of "We will be shortly arriving at x. (Then male voice blurb). Thank you for travelling with Virgin Trains", which gives the impression of reaching a junction or interchange station and being told to sod off now as onward connections are not operated by VTWC.

The system probably isn't intelligent enough to work out what connnections are actually still available at the time the train actually arrives, (might be the last one at night with virtually no booked connections I suppose)

 

[mark-h]

They would need to have a large set of announcements depending on which direction it is coming from and where it is going.


It would only make sense to advise passengers to change at Crewe for Birmingham on Southbound services via Tamworth. Passengers would get very confused if told to change to get to a destination the train is already traveling to. [there may be better examples than this]


------


Scotrail Turbostars advised a connection to the bus link to Edinburgh Airport at Haymarket- they did so when arriving from Waverley where it would have been easier to go to the bus directly rather than change trains for one stop.

 

[greaterwest]

SWT manage the "Change here" announcement perfectly fine, and it's directional. The London Heathrow Airport bus link announcement is only made when approaching Woking from the London direction, for example.

The one at Portsmouth & Southsea is directional too, going towards the Harbour it says "Change here for continental ferry services. Customers for ferry services to Ryde, Isle of Wight remain on this train and change at Portsmouth Harbour."

Towards London it'll only say "Change here for continental ferry services."

If SWT can do it, why can't Virgin Trains?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Desiro is about 5 years (or more) newer than the Pendolino - that's a long time in software, so the Desiro might do it OOB but the Pendolino not.

 

[greaterwest]

The Desiro is about 5 years (or more) newer than the Pendolino - that's a long time in software, so the Desiro might do it OOB but the Pendolino not.

I don't know what "OOB" is an abbreviation for.

The Desiro is only 2 or so years newer than the Pendolino, not only that but software can be upgraded too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't know what "OOB" is an abbreviation for.

Sorry, IT-speak. Out Of the Box, i.e. without modification.

The Desiro is only 2 or so years newer than the Pendolino, not only that but software can be upgraded too.

It can, but if the Desiro can do it without software upgrades it is clearly easier - just a job setting it up in the depot.

 

[dgl]

"OOB" mens "out of the box", i.e. the software/hardware was designed to do it from the start.

 

[greaterwest]

It can, but if the Desiro can do it without software upgrades it is clearly easier - just a job setting it up in the depot.

I don't know whether you could say the desiro hasn't had a software upgrade (although you're probably right, as the First TPE ones also have (had?) "Change here" announcements on them)

I wonder whether the announcement system on the Pendolinos is the same as that of the Voyagers and Meridians. None of them are used that often as far as I can tell (do the 22x even have voices on them?), which leads me to suggest it's a badly designed system?

 

[miami]

"OOB" mens "out of the box", i.e. the software/hardware was designed to do it from the start.

Out of band where I come from

 

[Galvanize]

I've heard it a few times recently...
"Welcome onboard Virgin Trains! We'll be travelling to...Manchester Piccadilly!!!! Calling at...Crewe! Wilmslow! Stockport!"

Very cheesy and rather patronising. At least they quickly dropped the original wording on the new system which said something along the lines of
"Hello...and Welcome onboard Virgin Trains! Today, we'll be travelling to...Birmingham New Street!!"

Other times I've travelled on VT, it was done the proper way with the Train Manager doing full manual announcements for arriving at stations and post departures. The auto announcements seem to be used more often on services with lots of stations (like the London to Scotland via Birmingham services) or services with stations close to one another (Like London to Birmingham).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I quite like it, particularly the "bouncing off each other" by the "presenters". It's informal and cheery as well as factual.

 

[Galvanize]

I quite like it, particularly the "bouncing off each other" by the "presenters". It's informal and cheery as well as factual.

I've heard it referred to by one VT employee as "Richard and Judy".

Even though it's a bit cheesy, it's slightly better than previous voice on the Pendos, the really depressing sounding woman and the long spiel about not leaving "Items unattended on the railway"

I do prefer the new Jingle on the Pendo units, I've always thought it reminded me of something you'd hear on a Sonic The Hedgehog game!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do prefer the new Jingle on the Pendo units, I've always thought it reminded me of something you'd hear on a Sonic The Hedgehog game!

It's better than the old one but it sounds oddly flat. Nothing will beat the classy "strum" of the Mk3 sets.

In some way I'm surprised that none of the TOCs have come up with a signature jingle like SNCF:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk2UGkXOGkU

...or SBB:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntqvfqR5Bs

...or DB: (a few variants, but some quite atmospheric bongs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGNK3OW7rg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTJiUZe775c

Even LU has a distinctive one, with the lower tone before the higher one.

 

[Sprinter153]

It's better than the old one but it sounds oddly flat. Nothing will beat the classy "strum" of the Mk3 sets.

In some way I'm surprised that none of the TOCs have come up with a signature jingle like SNCF:

ATW have a 'signature tune' of sorts on the 175s and refurbished 158s.

 

[Bletchleyite]

ATW have a 'signature tune' of sorts on the 175s and refurbished 158s.

Ah yes I forgot those. Does anyone know what it is? It sounds like it could be a traditional Welsh song, sort of along the lines of what DB do on some newer regional trains, namely playing the first few notes of the Bundesland's anthem before the announcements - a really nice little feature.

Actually, I reckon that would work with the Welsh national anthem - it isn't dissimilar!