New ScotRail Train Announcements

[dr140]

ScotRail appear to be trialling new AI generated onboard announcements and it's already proving controversial with one of the papers running a story on it and quite a few complaints on Twitter/X. There is a short clip in the article and I have found a video on YouTube (not my video). I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on it? I personally feel it's a downgrade with the voice sounding very artificial but that's just my opinion.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25168996.scotrail-issue-statement-new-ai-voice-announcements/

ScotRail issues statement on new AI voice announcements

SCOTRAIL has issued a statement amid a debate over whether the rail operator is using AI to make announcements.
A new announcement voice on ScotRail trains is currently being rolled out, leading commuters to question whether it is AI-generated after noticing a change in how stations were pronounced.

The National reached out to ScotRail to confirm whether it was using AI to make announcements on trains.

The rail operator confirmed that it is using a text-to-speech system to make announcements on trains.
ScotRail has named the voice "Iona", and said it works by inputting words and place names phonetically. For example, Milngavie was inputted as "Mill-guy", while Achnasheen is "Akna-sheen".

The software ScotRail is using is called ReadSpeaker, which it said can speak in more than 50 different languages and accents.
ScotRail said it has always used automated messages to make announcements, but that the new generated voice would make announcements more "modern and reflective of the routes the train serves".
The rail operator clarified that the AI system would only be used on trains and not in stations.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve the customer journey experience, and we know how important both on-train and at-station announcements are.

“The use of an automated voice allows us to have more control over the announcements being made, ensures consistency for customers, and gives us flexibility to make changes at short notice.

“ScotRail has always used automated announcements in relation to customer information, but it doesn’t replace human interaction through either with pre-recorded audio or staff on trains – something will continue.

“We are working closely with Network Rail and other train operating companies to continue making improvements across Scotland’s Railway, and we are hopeful of further developments in the coming months.”

 

[Ashley Hill]

No different to any other auto-announcer.

 

[bengley]

Back in my day this was just called Text to Speech

 

[hexagon789]

ScotRail appear to be trialling new AI generated onboard announcements and it's already proving controversial with one of the papers running a story on it and quite a few complaints on Twitter/X. There is a short clip in the article and I have found a video on YouTube (not my video). I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on it? I personally feel it's a downgrade with the voice sounding very artificial but that's just my opinion.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25168996.scotrail-issue-statement-new-ai-voice-announcements/

Until I hear it's rendition of less straightforward place-names I reserve judgment

I've only experienced it on Glasgow area local services with fairly simple pronunciations.

 

[dr140]

Until I hear it's rendition of less straightforward place-names I reserve judgment

I've only experienced it on Glasgow area local services with fairly simple pronunciations.

Yes, I'm curious to hear it pronouncing some of the stations in the highlands especially!

 

[Pete_uk]

Back in my day this was just called Text to Speech

Any kind of algorithm is now 'AI'

 

[Peter0124]

Scotrail going from one of the worst voices (Sonya) to one of the best (Fletcher Mathers) back to a potentially worse option

 

[generalnerd]

It surely can’t cost that much to hire somebody to do announcements!!

I personally don’t like the TTS announcements, it doesn’t sound as professional and the voices are often quite annoying…

 

[MerlinRail 804]

It surely can’t cost that much to hire somebody to do announcements!!

I personally don’t like the TTS announcements, it doesn’t sound as professional and the voices are often quite annoying…

Yeah the tone is always quite jarring and non-human. Having a human just feels nicer and feels a bit more personal and warm to be honest

 

[Topological]

AI suggests algorithms that try to learn a particular human voice and then replicate it. I do not know whether any rail company will go for that mimic approach, but assuming the correct training of the model, the pronunciation on any stations should be correct. It should also remove any computer-generated sense.

I think it is only when someone says who the exact person the AI is copying that the differences between reality and computer kick in.

 

[hux385]

Is this being trialled on all trains or just certain classes?

 

[Rory N]

That sounds horrible.

 

[stadler]

ScotRail appear to be trialling new AI generated onboard announcements and it's already proving controversial with one of the papers running a story on it and quite a few complaints on Twitter/X. There is a short clip in the article and I have found a video on YouTube (not my video). I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on it? I personally feel it's a downgrade with the voice sounding very artificial but that's just my opinion.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25168996.scotrail-issue-statement-new-ai-voice-announcements/

Definitely a downgrade. Fletcher Mathers is a great voice. I have always liked her announcements so it is a real shame to see her replaced. Although i will say that new TTS is not the worst voice. We have a lot worse announcements on our trains. It is better than the dreadful amateur announcements that Northern have been recently rolling out on to their trains.

It seems that this is the voice (Readspeaker Iona) that Scotrail are using:

Scottish English Text to Speech with Natural Accent

Transform written words into lifelike Scottish English speech with our natural accent text-to-speech solution.

www.readspeaker.com

Click on the voice and change it to "Iona" and you can create your announcements and make her say anything you want.



I fail to see why they needed to replace Fletcher Mathers though. She already recorded everything. What are they achieving by switching to a TTS voice. I suppose it saves them money when new stations open (they will no longer have to pay Fletcher Mathers for new recordings) but surely Scotrail can afford that.

Back in my day this was just called Text to Speech

Yes it is a TTS voice. For some reason everyone loves calling everything "AI" these days. But there is absolutely nothing "AI" about this new Scotrail voice. This is just a basic simple TTS voice using standard TTS technology. This technology has been around for over twenty years now.

Scotrail going from one of the worst voices (Sonya) to one of the best (Fletcher Mathers) back to a potentially worse option

Oh i remember her. That old "Sonya" voice was so miserable sounding but the male voice used alongside her for safety announcements was fantastic.

You can hear both the miserable sounding "Sonya" and the nice sounding male here:

Fletcher Mathers was a huge improvement over her. Although i would have liked for them to have kept the male for the safety announcements.

Stagecoach Highlands currently use an even more miserable sounding voice that "Sonya" on their buses:

I suppose at least Scotrail have not gone for another more miserable sounding voice like that.

Is this being trialled on all trains or just certain classes?

Unfortunately from what i have heard this voice is being rolled out to all classes of Scotrail trains. Although it will probably take a while as they use five different PIS systems and some are more difficult to update than others. Alsthom on 334. Axion (SAViewCom) on 320/4. BTROS (Whiteleys) on 158 170 318 320/3. Televic on 380 385. TrainFX on 153 156 MK3. So it will probably take at least a couple months to do all classes.

 

[reecestrains]

I found out about the announcement change yesterday and I definitely prefer Fletcher to be completely honest.

Definitely not as bad as Northern though.

 

[IanM]

You can hear both the miserable sounding "Sonya" and the nice sounding male here:

Donald was a real gentleman. Thank you for posting this recording of his safety announcement.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Was she on a pay-per-play retainer like the chap who wrote the C4 jingle?

(Back in the 1980s David Dundas negotiated a payment of £3.50 per every time the four-noted "fourscore" tune was played)

 

[Russel]

Sounds awful.

Certainly a downgrade on the previous announcements.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Will the services still connect with the Clyde Steamers at Stonehaven?

 

[tfw756rider]

No different to any other auto-announcer.

Huh? "AI" / text-to-speech auto announcement systems are very much different to the recording-based auto announcement systems that are common.

The former use speech synthesis (of varying levels of sophistication), whereas the latter use recordings of entire words/place names, phrases or sentences (depending on what's being said) spoken by a person, that are then played in the appropriate order.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Huh? "AI" / text-to-speech auto announcement systems are very much different to the recording-based auto announcement systems that are common.

The former use speech synthesis (of varying levels of sophistication), whereas the latter use recordings of entire words/place names, phrases or sentences (depending on what's being said) spoken by a person, that are then played in the appropriate order.

My point being that they still sound incredibly bland.

 

[tfw756rider]

My point being that they still sound incredibly bland.

Oh OK yeah, still lack the live/manual feel.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Huh? "AI" / text-to-speech auto announcement systems are very much different to the recording-based auto announcement systems that are common.

The former use speech synthesis (of varying levels of sophistication), whereas the latter use recordings of entire words/place names, phrases or sentences (depending on what's being said) spoken by a person, that are then played in the appropriate order.

Speech synthesis doesn't have to involve AI, it's been around for decades. My Sinclair Spectrum had a Currah speech unit, my mum's washing machine had a speech unit, and Austin Maestros were talking to the driver back in 1984.

It's not even been whole-word recordings for a long long time, mostly sounds put together a bit like a MOD file.

 

[tfw756rider]

Speech synthesis doesn't have to involve AI, it's been around for decades. My Sinclair Spectrum had a Currah speech unit, my mum's washing machine had a speech unit, and Austin Maestros were talking to the driver back in 1984.

It's not even been whole-word recordings for a long long time, mostly sounds put together a bit like a MOD file.

I know, but AI has helped text-to-speech to sound more "realistic" (using that word very loosely )

That bit you said at the end is interesting, and explains why, in cases / areas where on-train announcements supposedly use the same voice as station announcements, the on-train voice can sound less "real", even though the voice is obviously from the same person.

 

[AlistairCowell]

I think AI voice is the way forward now and it would be sad to have Fletcher Mathers replaced with the new system, but you’ve got to remember we had that system for 20 years now.

At least we Scots don’t have to listen to ATOS Anne here in Scotland, but you never know that can still come one day.

Certainly Fletcher is one of the best tran announcements around, you don’t get that anywhere else.

 

[jamieh27]

ScotRail appear to be trialling new AI generated onboard announcements and it's already proving controversial with one of the papers running a story on it and quite a few complaints on Twitter/X. There is a short clip in the article and I have found a video on YouTube (not my video). I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on it? I personally feel it's a downgrade with the voice sounding very artificial but that's just my opinion.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25168996.scotrail-issue-statement-new-ai-voice-announcements/

Its like the scottish version of Ivona Amy.

 

[CEN60]

Heard it for the first time last Wednesday on the way to Cardonald - I thought it sounded very artificial - was not impressed.

 

[BlueLeanie]

What happens when the AI expands further, and follows the official rules on all Scottish town spelling and pronunciation set by the late Victoria Wood?

Local Name - Linlithgow.
Spelling - Ecclefechan
Pronunciation - Kirkcudbright

 

[londonmidland]

It’s sad to hear TTS rubbish is expanding. Firstly with Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains at their stations, and now ScotRail onboard their trains

 

[fgwrich]

It’s sad to hear TTS rubbish is expanding. Firstly with Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains at their stations, and now ScotRail onboard their trains

SWT had it, somewhat disappointedly, in their 707s too. I agree it’s a rubbish sounding system - its biggest pitfall is how disjointed it all sounds.

The slight irony now though is that the TTS was non standard in a sea of Celia Drummond fitted fleets, whilst the 701s are now the only units on SWR with Celia’s voice still going on.

 

[stadler]

SWT had it, somewhat disappointedly, in their 707s too. I agree it’s a rubbish sounding system - its biggest pitfall is how disjointed it all sounds.

The slight irony now though is that the TTS was non standard in a sea of Celia Drummond fitted fleets, whilst the 701s are now the only units on SWR with Celia’s voice still going on.

Celia Drummond is still on the 458s (both 458/4s and 458/5s) too. Thankfully they have not been changed yet.

I think i actually preferred the Acapela Rachel TTS announcements on the 707s to the new Elinor Hamilton announcements that they have been rolling out recently. Celia Drummond was fantastic (they should never have replaced her) but Elinor Hamilton does not really have the right voice for train announcements.

To be fair TTS is quite good these days. It used to be very bad and robotic but it sounds decent now. Ivona Amy has been improved a lot. I certainly prefer the Ivona Amy TTS announcements that GA/LNWR/WMR use over some of the Worldline announcers like Matt at GTR stations.

The technology keeps improving so in ten years from now i imagine TTS voices will be almost indistinguishable from real voiceover artists. So sadly i think voiceover artists are probably a job that will dissappear within twenty years from now.