What year were Phil Sayer announcements first used?

[Kudoson]

I've been trying to find out when the Phil Sayer announcements were first used at stations, I can't actually find a specific year. Does anyone here know it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Galvanize]

Mid-to-late 1990s, round about 1996. I've seen video footage at Leeds Station filmed in 1996, you can hear Phil Sayer in the background, must of been one of the first stations to get the system installed!

 

[Surreytraveller]

I reckon it was about 10 years earlier than that - about mid 80s?

 

[trentside]

The early Ditra announcement installations (who now use Phil Sayer) were voiced by Jon Elgar - as can be heard in this video from London Bridge. I think it was the early to mid 1990s that Phil Sayer began to be used instead.

 

[Kudoson]

Thanks for the replies, I don't think it could have been installed as early as the 80's though.

 

[Eagle]

The early Ditra announcement installations (who now use Phil Sayer) were voiced by Jon Elgar - as can be heard in this video from London Bridge.

Interesting the way they're announced: rather than the modern "platform N for the hh.mm service to X", it's using "platform N for the hh.mm X service", which is kind of mentally disorientating. I'd guess it was switched because the latter can't easily accommodate the name of a TOC.

(Although not as much disorientating as one manual announcer at Haymarket who says "that's the X train arriving at platform N, the hh.mm".)

 

[Jordy]

I believe Leeds was the first station Phil was installed at.

 

[Edvid]

What announcement system did they have at Holborn Viaduct in 1990?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX5CV-C07yI

1 minute 20 seconds into the video.

 

[trentside]

What announcement system did they have at Holborn Viaduct in 1990?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX5CV-C07yI

1 minute 20 seconds into the video.

I believe that is the BR Ditra installation - at most locations, this unknown female voice was used with Jon Elgar mainly used at larger stations alongside this voice. The system could still be heard at Seven Sisters and Bishops Stortford until late 2011.

 

[centralman]

Wow I never knew!

I guess they think he is getting past the sell by date now cause with the new system across the GW network he has been replaced!

 

[TheWalrus]

Wow I never knew!

I guess they think he is getting past the sell by date now cause with the new system across the GW network he has been replaced!

The new announcements are awful!

 

[WVL14]

The first stations which used Phil's voice were Leeds in late 1994, then Southampton Central in around May 1995.