Should the UK introduce Deutsche Bahn style departure announcements?

[Bletchleyite]

While they're not as common these days as they aren't used on DOO trains, with the whole "yellow line" issue, should the UK introduce something like the Deutsche Bahn departure announcements?

For those not familiar, they are preceded by a distinctive and Germanic "bong, bing" (though this varies between stations) and a very clearly and slowly enunciated (translated) "On platform N please board the train, doors close automatically*, take care on departure".

So should we have something similar in the UK to deal with yellow line incidents rather than the staff shouting incomprehensibly (and thus being ignored) as I once again saw today at Lancaster? I think so.

How about this for wording? The tone could be something like the rising "toot-toot-toot-tooooot" that used to be used for trains passing through on stations with the old Connex CIS because it conveys a sense of urgency.

"On platform N, train to London Euston, please stand behind the yellow line for your safety, this train is about to leave".

Seems to make a lot of sense to me. Ideally in a Received Pronunciation type male voice, as that is generally recognised as being the best voice for getting a response to instructions (TfL have specced a male voice for instructions on the S stock and a female one for information, for instance).

They could be triggered by dispatchers, or where not present the guard. For non dispatched DOO trains some other system could be set up to trigger them.

* I am old enough to have heard the "and close the doors" variant!

 

[py_megapixel]

I think it's a good idea. Not sure it's a good idea to announce the destination though - by the time this announcement is playing, you don't want any new passengers deciding they want to be on this train and running at the doors at the last minute.

I also think we should switch to the German-style system of announcing a list of departures after each arriving train, and then each departure having a detailed announcement just before the train arrives, instead of having several announcements for each departure in the run-up to it. (It says "Welcome to [Station]. Your next connecting services..." and then a list of the next 5 or 6 trains with their destinations, times, platforms and notification of any delays or special notices). Getting off the train and then immediately being told where to go is very convenient, and to my mind doing the announcements that way means they form a better audible alternative to the departure screens.

 

[43074]

Sounds like the same concept as the "embarquement terminé"/"Niet instappen" warnings you see on CIS boards on SNCB or NS during departure respectively, both translate to English loosely as boarding finished. In theory 30 seconds before departing the CIS could switch to a "Train departing. Stand well clear" message or similar to reinforce the announcements.

Apart from anything else, having staff barking instructions at passengers is unpleasant and likely to make people less likely to comply with the request, a similar tone to the announcements about not smoking would likely be more effective anyway.

 

[Bertie the bus]

So should we have something similar in the UK to deal with yellow line incidents rather than the staff shouting incomprehensibly (and thus being ignored) as I once again saw today at Lancaster? I think so.

For someone who seems to travel by train as much as you I would have thought you have noticed we do have similar announcements. Preston certainly has stay behind the yellow lines for your safety announcements, as do other stations, particularly WCML ones.

The fact you hadn't noticed probably indicates how pointless and ineffective they are.

 

[43096]

While they're not as common these days as they aren't used on DOO trains, with the whole "yellow line" issue, should the UK introduce something like the Deutsche Bahn departure announcements?

For those not familiar, they are preceded by a distinctive and Germanic "bong, bing" (though this varies between stations) and a very clearly and slowly enunciated (translated) "On platform N please board the train, doors close automatically*, take care on departure".

So should we have something similar in the UK to deal with yellow line incidents rather than the staff shouting incomprehensibly (and thus being ignored) as I once again saw today at Lancaster? I think so.

How about this for wording? The tone could be something like the rising "toot-toot-toot-tooooot" that used to be used for trains passing through on stations with the old Connex CIS because it conveys a sense of urgency.

"On platform N, train to London Euston, please stand behind the yellow line for your safety, this train is about to leave".

Seems to make a lot of sense to me. Ideally in a Received Pronunciation type male voice, as that is generally recognised as being the best voice for getting a response to instructions (TfL have specced a male voice for instructions on the S stock and a female one for information, for instance).

They could be triggered by dispatchers, or where not present the guard. For non dispatched DOO trains some other system could be set up to trigger them.

* I am old enough to have heard the "and close the doors" variant!

More verbal diarrhoea from the PA. That is not the solution.

 

[Bletchleyite]

For someone who seems to travel by train as much as you I would have thought you have noticed we do have similar announcements. Preston certainly has stay behind the yellow lines for your safety announcements, as do other stations, particularly WCML ones.

The fact you hadn't noticed probably indicates how pointless and ineffective they are.

No UK station has announcements of the precise nature I describe. This is a specific and distinct announcement as part of the departure sequence for each train, not general witter in the standard Anne voice that indeed gets ignored.

The closest we ever got was manual ones that Preston (interesting you mentioned it) and a few other North West stations used to do - "please board the train and close the doors, this train is ready for departure".

There is the "ready to leave" one Anne does at some locations, but that's a minute or two before. I'm talking about the departure sequence being to trigger this at say 40 seconds before as part of actual departure, and it having a very distinct tone and voice, as it does in Germany.

 

[D7666]

We did used to have something standard like this.

It was called a whistle.

You don't need bing-bong and PA, just a whistle. Even now most people would probably recognise it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

We did used to have something standard like this.

It was called a whistle.

You don't need bing-bong and PA, just a whistle. Even now most people would probably recognise it.

Whistles are still used and do not appear to work.

 

[D7666]

Whistles are still used and do not appear to work.

Not routinely used on any railway I regularly use these days.

 

[superalbs]

Oh god, do we really need more announcements?

 

[Bertie the bus]

There is the "ready to leave" one Anne does at some locations, but that's a minute or two before. I'm talking about the departure sequence being to trigger this at say 40 seconds before as part of actual departure, and it having a very distinct tone and voice, as it does in Germany.

Totally and utterly pointless. Most major railway stations are just an annoying cacophony of noise everybody ignores anyway so adding yet another announcement that says exactly the same as a current one, but just at a specified time would achieve nothing.

 

[yorksrob]

I think that Deutsche Bahn style fares ought to be the priority.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think that Deutsche Bahn style fares ought to be the priority.

These days Deutsche Bahn's long distance fares look rather like LNER's trial, so I wouldn't wish for that, plus they also do "fake compulsory reservations" like have become popular here (though just by controlling sale, not by marking wrongly in timetable data). The flexible fares are singles only and quite expensive, and most use Advance style tickets, albeit with slightly more favourable T&C.

 

[43096]

I think that Deutsche Bahn style fares ought to be the priority.

Add Deutsche Bahn standards for long distance trains, too. But not punctuality!

 

[Bertie the bus]

The way to end aggressive shouting at passengers by staff isn’t to introduce more announcements but to remove the instruction to shout aggressively at passengers. It must be part of the training because it has being happening at WCML stations for many years but doesn’t happen on the ECML.

If you take York for example it can get large crowds of photographers for railtours and many not only overstep the yellow line but overhang the platform edge. The way York deals with it is not to just shout aggressively at them but for a member of station or security staff to walk the line and politely ask people to stand back.

Even Manchester Piccadilly seems to reached a civilised solution to trying to police the red/yellow lines on P13/14 but on the WCML the shouting persists.

 

[Howardh]

Even Manchester Piccadilly seems to reached a civilised solution to trying to police the red/yellow lines on P13/14 but on the WCML the shouting persists.

Earlier this year I was on Picc 14 as the guy was shouting at the pax to stand clear of the yellow line, he was inside the yellow line on the edge of the platform and he had his back to the incoming train.

Not a good example to the public.

 

[RailWonderer]

Too sensible. In the UK we go for endless see it say it sorted announcements with a synthetic AI voice.

 

[mattdickinson]

Obligatory Fiennes...

At Reading one day I stood gnawing my nails at the leisurely transfer of branch passengers to our already-late main line train.

“Blow your whistle at them” I hissed at the Inspector.

“Sir, we do not blow whistles at people from Newbury”.

G F Fiennes (1973). I tried to run a Railway (Revised ed.). London: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 9780711004474.

 

[zwk500]

I think there could be a case for it where trains have dwell longer than about 5 minutes. But I'd have it short and sharp, and use something other than the Connex Fanfare as I would prefer that be a national standard for non-stop trains.
A series of 3 bongs of the same tone would highlight the message, the phrasing "The train on platform 5 is now ready to leave, Stand Back please!" would keep clutter down. And have it triggered from the TRTS button on the platform so no need to have more stuff in the despatch process. It'll still be ignored though...

I wouldn't do it where a train has the standard dwell and is clearly ready to leave as soon as people are off and on, as I agree there's already a lot of audio distractions.

 

[stadler]

While they're not as common these days as they aren't used on DOO trains, with the whole "yellow line" issue, should the UK introduce something like the Deutsche Bahn departure announcements?

For those not familiar, they are preceded by a distinctive and Germanic "bong, bing" (though this varies between stations) and a very clearly and slowly enunciated (translated) "On platform N please board the train, doors close automatically*, take care on departure".

So should we have something similar in the UK to deal with yellow line incidents rather than the staff shouting incomprehensibly (and thus being ignored) as I once again saw today at Lancaster? I think so.

How about this for wording? The tone could be something like the rising "toot-toot-toot-tooooot" that used to be used for trains passing through on stations with the old Connex CIS because it conveys a sense of urgency.

"On platform N, train to London Euston, please stand behind the yellow line for your safety, this train is about to leave".

Seems to make a lot of sense to me. Ideally in a Received Pronunciation type male voice, as that is generally recognised as being the best voice for getting a response to instructions (TfL have specced a male voice for instructions on the S stock and a female one for information, for instance).

They could be triggered by dispatchers, or where not present the guard. For non dispatched DOO trains some other system could be set up to trigger them.

* I am old enough to have heard the "and close the doors" variant!

Up until 2018 when they stopped using the Amey system all of the Southern stations played this announcement when a train was about to leave:

"Please stand clear from the train at platform x. Please stand clear from the train at this platform. This train is ready to leave."

I have attached a recording of the announcement that i am talking about.

Many of the Southern stations (all of the ones that had the Daktronics boards) also played the Connex trumpet horn along with this announcement. This announcement was triggered by the scheduled departure time so if the train driver decided to leave early than it would play slightly later than it should. But most of the time it worked well and played at the right time.

Worldline have never had such an announcement. But i see no reason why they could not introduce one. It should be an easy feature to introduce and i agree it could be beneficial.

 

[J-2739]

Up until 2018 when they stopped using the Amey system all of the Southern stations played this announcement when a train was about to leave:

"Please stand clear from the train at platform x. Please stand clear from the train at this platform. This train is ready to leave."

I have attached a recording of the announcement that i am talking about.

Many of the Southern stations (all of the ones that had the Daktronics boards) also played the Connex trumpet horn along with this announcement. This announcement was triggered by the scheduled departure time so if the train driver decided to leave early than it would play slightly later than it should. But most of the time it worked well and played at the right time.

Worldline have never had such an announcement. But i see no reason why they could not introduce one. It should be an easy feature to introduce and i agree it could be beneficial.

The IVONA system used by Greater Anglia used to say...

"This is the final call for the xx:xx Greater Anglia services to xxxxxxxx."

...just before scheduled departure. This vanished about a year ago, which is a shame.

 

[185]

Further garbled announcements just blend in with the 6101610 nonsense.

The platform yellow line width in many places should be reduced - the nonsense on many platforms where >80% of the width is the wrong side of the line needs to go - the line just ends up being walked on, no-one can see it, so a maximum 50-60cm is enough. Sandwell & Dudley is one hilarious example, where in places you technically have to climb a lamppost to remain behind the line.

- Someone in an office with little understanding of the world outside should have been held to account for implementing rules like that - there may as well not be a line if it's painted that far back.

In urban and busy stations, the entire area beyond the line / tactile paving to the edge should be painted solid yellow with the 15cm edge remaining white. This, in practice at most stations would mean the coping stones being painted all-yellow, with a white 15cm edge remaining. There's plenty of hardwearing non-slip coatings suited for this used abroad on platforms.

The real solution is Peter Kaye's car alarm, full volume, shouting "GET BACK YER... See More

 

[RAPC]

As others have already said, it won't get actively listened to and won't have a tangible impact as a result. The more consistency you add in, it is proven to be less listened to as uniformity is not the friend of attention.

The "staff shouting incomprehensively" is the bit that needs improving and to do that, get better on platform equipment to make announcements that can be heard properly on the occasions they are needed.