Information phrases which grate

[MattRat]

Surely a sign that the announcements are not working?

I'd more say it's a much bigger problem, probably something to do with the 'education' system, as it always seems to come back to that.

 

[Pigeon]

Well, I left my education system bag on a train once in the days before PAs.

Someone found it before the next station and handed it in, and as soon as I'd made contact they put it on the next train back to my station.

 

[Bluejays]

Another one is "This train is now approaching Orpington. If you're alighting at Orpington, please remember to take all your belongings with you".

This infers that for anyone getting off at a later station, taking all their belongings with them might not be so important.

It really doesn't suggest that in the slightest

 

[BJames]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but I heard this at Tunbridge Wells last week: "This train usually has plenty of seats available" (repeated twice, once as the train was pulling into the platform). It was an Anne announcement too and I've never heard it before. It's actually sort of helpful if a train is announced as reported full and standing (although this has happened to me down in Exeter before and the train has pulled in half empty) but I don't see the merit of announcing that it tends to have a lot of seats...

 

[island]

Whilst we're on the subject, Grant Shapps has promised to get rid of "tannoy spam".

Trains told to get rid of torrent of 'Tannoy spam'

Rail chiefs are set to get rid of unnecessary on-board announcements to make journeys more peaceful.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Sprinter107]

I do hope they go through with this. I also hope the auto announcement is deemed sufficient, and we don't have to keep having it repeated by guard.

 

[MattRat]

Whilst we're on the subject, Grant Shapps has promised to get rid of "tannoy spam".

Trains told to get rid of torrent of 'Tannoy spam'

Rail chiefs are set to get rid of unnecessary on-board announcements to make journeys more peaceful.

www.bbc.co.uk

We shall see. It's a government 'promise', so I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Well it seems to say that they are only looking at non-safety announcements, so many of the ones complained about on here will remain

 

[Fyldeboy]

This Train Terminates at London Paddington
unless it goes over the concourse, down the escalators and via the Circle line to Edgware Road

 

[Peter0124]

"Please hold the handrail and take care on the stairs" - Glasgow Queen Street low level, constant annoyance.

 

[MattRat]

This Train Terminates at London Paddington
unless it goes over the concourse, down the escalators and via the Circle line to Edgware Road

Who knows, under this current Government, it may become a turnback station.....

 

[adrock1976]

"Please hold the handrail and take care on the stairs" - Glasgow Queen Street low level, constant annoyance.

Has that come back now?

I remember before the refurbishment, it was static noise, which suggests either a loose wire or water had got in to the loudspeaker system somewhere.

 

[MattRat]

Has that come back now?

I remember before the refurbishment, it was static noise, which suggests either a loose wire or water had got in to the loudspeaker system somewhere.

I'm just imagining that being the priority while something else is missed, but I don't know the area well enough to make that judgement.

 

[Nova1]

Thanks to West Midlands Railway
“The next service is not in service, please do not board this service”

 

[MattRat]

Thanks to West Midlands Railway
“The next service is not in service, please do not board this service”

It also isn't actually that informative. What if you didn't know what the next service was?

 

[Wychwood93]

Broadly similar to the 'this train is not for public use' at Bournemouth when an empty XC service toddles towards the platform from the middle sidings. Before they announce what is happening there are already people getting on. It does not perhaps grate as such, it is just something that could be done better.

 

[MattRat]

Broadly similar to the 'this train is not for public use' at Bournemouth when an empty XC service toddles towards the platform from the middle sidings. Before they announce what is happening there are already people getting on. It does not perhaps grate as such, it is just something that could be done better.

Or maybe just lock the doors so people can't get on.

 

[Wychwood93]

Or maybe just lock the doors so people can't get on.

The people on the platform know this is the train to Manchester (generally - apart from an evening to New Street) - the PIS shows where the train is going. Rocket science is not involved. There are times when 'this train is not scheduled to stop here - stand back etc.' happen for the same XC service - the PIS still cheerfully showing the xx.xx to Manchester.

 

[MattRat]

The people on the platform know this is the train to Manchester (generally - apart from an evening to New Street) - the PIS shows where the train is going. Rocket science is not involved. There are times when 'this train is not scheduled to stop here - stand back etc.' happen for the same XC service - the PIS still cheerfully showing the xx.xx to Manchester.

The PIS being wrong is of course a problem, but the doors should still be locked before confirmation. It's just common sense that if you don't want people on, don't let them on.

 

[Wychwood93]

The PIS being wrong is of course a problem, but the doors should still be locked before confirmation. It's just common sense that if you don't want people on, don't let them on.

The PIS is not wrong - the xx.xx to Manchester is the next departure - it is the annoying self-generated blurb which is pointless. The platform staff and most of the passengers know what is happening - the front of the train does not show London W'loo etc.

 

[MattRat]

The PIS is not wrong - the xx.xx to Manchester is the next departure - it is the annoying self-generated blurb which is pointless. The platform staff and most of the passengers know what is happening - the front of the train does not show London W'loo etc.

Until they are wrong. But my solution is just lock the doors. Then that's one less announcement compared to the two before.

 

[Wychwood93]

Until they are wrong. But my solution is just lock the doors. Then that's one less announcement compared to the two before.

The doors are locked as the train (somewhat empty) runs in - the crew then open them! Bournemouth is not a hectic hub of frantic activity - in pre-viral times it was four up and four down. Some of the staff there may consider it busy - wrong! I recall a box visit some years ago to Dorchester - the signaller on duty at the time 'pretended' it was busy - all parties present knew it was far from that!

 

[MattRat]

The doors are locked as the train (somewhat empty) runs in - the crew then open them! Bournemouth is not a hectic hub of frantic activity - in pre-viral times it was four up and four down. Some of the staff there may consider it busy - wrong! I recall a box visit some years ago to Dorchester - the signaller on duty at the time 'pretended' it was busy - all parties present knew it was far from that!

Who does it hurt if the doors open a little later on?

 

[Gloster]

Who does it hurt if the doors open a little later on?

The idiots who bruise their fingers continually pushing the ‘Door Open’ buttons before they are illuminated...or trying to pull the doors open while they are still locked.

 

[philthetube]

Another one is "This train is now approaching Orpington. If you're alighting at Orpington, please remember to take all your belongings with you".

This infers that for anyone getting off at a later station, taking all their belongings with them might not be so important.

Who carries all their belongings , or all their personal belongings with them anyway

 

[43066]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but I heard this at Tunbridge Wells last week: "This train usually has plenty of seats available" (repeated twice, once as the train was pulling into the platform). It was an Anne announcement too and I've never heard it before. It's actually sort of helpful if a train is announced as reported full and standing (although this has happened to me down in Exeter before and the train has pulled in half empty) but I don't see the merit of announcing that it tends to have a lot of seats...

“Tends to have a lot of seats” is as close to useful as they can get with the technology in use on the Southeastern fleet, I suppose. Some of the latest generation of trains (thinking of class 700s especially) have on board displays showing busy-ness in different parts of the train based on carriage weights, so you’d think there should be a way to link that to the platform PIS system.

 

[Parallel]

Thanks to West Midlands Railway
“The next service is not in service, please do not board this service”

Probably useful at Watford Junction, or else more would probably board the Avanti trains to London then get charged a full fare from potentially as far as Crewe or Warrington…

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Thanks to West Midlands Railway
“The next service is not in service, please do not board this service”

Badly worded for sure, but telling people the next train on platform whatever is not in service is fine, surely?

 

[Nova1]

Badly worded for sure, but telling people the next train on platform whatever is not in service is fine, surely?

Would be fine if it didn't consistently show the Not In Service trains in the wrong order. I can see on tracksy that the 196 on test is running behind the actual train in service but the departure boards apparently can't, resulting in a lot of confused non-regular travelers when the train in service pulls in and it's still showing "Not In Service". (And then the 196 gets stuck out of the way into Platform 3 anyway)

 

[Timmyd]

'First Class accommodation is not available on this service' at Thameslink stations when a Sutton arrives with first class accommodation at each end. Whereas what it means is anyone can sit in the first class accommodation, something quite different.