Will Manchester Piccadilly ever get another auto-announcer

[Hyphen]

Depends who's on. There's a female one whose words sometimes merge into each other. There's "Birmi'national man", one other male who is very clear and very occasionally a fourth younger sounding female voice who isn't bad.

I'm not that familiar with Wolves station, but when visiting my sister at Uni there, I did on a couple of occasions hear:

"...and all unpronounceable stations to Pwllheli"

 

[Emyr]

As a bilingual Welshman, I do appreciate that he knew he didn't stand a chance...

We all know what he meant!

 

[Parallel]

Did you know that London Midland's version of Anne also pronounces Keynsham the same way Ruth does, but FGW Anne gets it right?

I haven't actually noticed it, but I have noticed that London Midland Anne says 'Lawrence Hill' very softly, compared to the FGW version, where she says it like she's confirming something.

I'm not sure 100% sure but I think Ruth used to be the announcer at some stations on the Wessex main line before Anne was. I think she used to be at Bradford On Avon as I remember she exaggerated "Portsmouth and SOUTHsea" like she does today at Newport and Cardiff. I also think I've seen a video somewhere of her announcements at Westbury in the past (which is now Anne).

I don't think Anne is a bad announcer but can see why other people might not like her voice. I find the other announcer FGW use (Roger?) worse.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Anne also does the announcements at Liverpool Lime St and Preston.
At Lime St she calls Euxton Balshaw Lane "Yookston", but at Preston on the train back to Liverpool she calls it "Eckston".
Thus reinforcing everyone's assumptions I suppose!

The Virgin on-train announcements are very poor, in my view.
Clipped, disjointed and repetitive - and often wrong.
Too many "We are now arriving at (silence/blank), we hope you've had a pleasant journey. Thank you for travelling with Virgin Trains" - just after leaving Chester.
The previous VT manual announcements were excellent, from very knowledgeable and informative TMs.
It's gone downhill.

 

[Parallel]

One of my friends recorded this autoannouncement at Wem station recently.

It's meant to say "Calling at Yorton, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Birmingham New Street & Birmingham International".

As trains to Birmingham through Wem would usually be diversion only, I have no idea why Yorton is said as "Otun".

Some stations on the Cambrian Coast, and also some smaller stations on the SWML use similar announcements (although most of the words are said correctly on those).

 

[Ibex]

One of my friends recorded this autoannouncement at Wem station recently.

It's meant to say "Calling at Yorton, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Birmingham New Street & Birmingham International".

As trains to Birmingham through Wem would usually be diversion only, I have no idea why Yorton is said as "Otun".

Some stations on the Cambrian Coast, and also some smaller stations on the SWML use similar announcements (although most of the words are said correctly on those).

Wow, that announcement you've recorded there is spectacularly awful.
These text-to-speech announcements I believe were Infotec's cheap solution to providing displays and PA at stations where it doesn't warrant full tannoy equipment etc. I would hope one day Arriva Trains Wales will hear this announcement in person and realise it is not the way forward.

Southeastern installed this recently at some places (Grove Park) but then saw the light and went over to Anne.

 

[Philip]

Is the TPE woman with the strong Yorkshire accent still heard at their stations or on the trains? In the first years of 185s she did on train safety announcements, no smoking, ticket barriers in use etc.

 

[londonmidland]

Do you mean this woman onboard the TPE 170s and 185s?

 

[Philip]

Do you mean this woman onboard the TPE 170s and 185s?

No she's the main on-train announcer and can still be heard now. The one I'm referring to was used for the extras in the first couple of years but I haven't heard her for years. Think she was or still is a station manager for TPE. She has a strong Yorkshire accent similar to the strength of the Brummie accent of one of the announcers at Wolverhampton. It was a bit funny because she put on a posh voice for the announcements through this thick Yorkshire accent she has.

 

[trentside]

No she's the main on-train announcer and can still be heard now. The one I'm referring to was used for the extras in the first couple of years but I haven't heard her for years. Think she was or still is a station manager for TPE. She has a strong Yorkshire accent similar to the strength of the Brummie accent of one of the announcers at Wolverhampton. It was a bit funny because she put on a posh voice for the announcements through this thick Yorkshire accent she has.

You mean this one? I'm pretty sure I've heard her in the last year or so.

 

[mbreckers]

Or how about ScotRail and the Ayrshire Coast route. They dont have Haymarket or North Berwick (and a few others) recorded at all. Doesnt sound right when a train is going to North Berwick and the announcement is "The train now approaching platform 1 is the 1500 service to..."

 

[Philip]

You mean this one? I'm pretty sure I've heard her in the last year or so.

That's her. Not sure about the stations but I've not heard her on the trains for a few years.

 

[Oxfordblues]

I recall working at Preston Powerbox in the early-1980s when the Preston Station Announcer had excellent diction and was exemplary in the way he marshalled passengers and anticipated any platform alterations. Sadly he was often late for work or absent and eventually got sacked for his unreliability. His replacement was totally useless, with a weak voice and hesitant delivery. But he was always on time for work and that seemed to count for more than his abilities.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Anne also does the announcements at Liverpool Lime St and Preston.

Since when? I was there last on the 18th and it was manual announcements. There's about 3 people that chop and change from what I've gathered.

 

[BurtonM]

That's her. Not sure about the stations but I've not heard her on the trains for a few years.

The same or a very similar voice does the CCTV and no smoking announcements in Ashton-under-Lyne bus station amongst others.
That voice also does or did an announcement on Stalybridge station about smoking, it sounded as if she was telling off a small child - with hard sounds on all the ts and ks in 'please do not smoke'!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
"...is the 16! 14! service2... burminghaminternayshunal. this service is currently ontime.
killing it oshont, shroozeburee, llelingTON, tothot central, woilverhaamTON, smefick gaalton bridge, Birmingham New's TreatandBirmingham Internaytional.
This service isn'prayted by... Arriva Drainsus."

Awful.

 

[rg177]

There's a text to speech one at Metrocentre that's like-

''The next train at Platform 2, is the 0916, service to....Nunthorpe. This service is currentlyontime. Calling at.... Newcarstle, Heeworth, Sunderland, 'C', Hartleepool, Seaton Care-ooo, Billingham, Stockton, Thornaby, Middlesburuuu, 'JCH', Marton, Gypsy Lane, andNunthorpe''

Tolerable but I do wonder how Seaham comes out as 'c'

 

[leytongabriel]

On-board announcements seem to have slipped into using 'We will shortly be arriving into .......' Whatever happened to 'arriving at ........' ?

 

[gogogoadam]

On-board announcements seem to have slipped into using 'We will shortly be arriving into .......' Whatever happened to 'arriving at ........' ?

Don't even start me on 'This is the 08.32 <x operator> service through to London <x terminal>. Why not ...um, 'to'? Why 'through to'?

And i'll save my annoyment with 'Carriage Haitch' for another time ...

Adam

 

[Jonfun]

On-board announcements seem to have slipped into using 'We will shortly be arriving into .......' Whatever happened to 'arriving at ........' ?

"Arriving at Manchester" doesn't sound right, for a start.
I would say you arrive into a place ("We're now arriving into Manchester"), and you arrive at a station ("We're now arriving at Manchester Piccadilly").

Also I don't know what's wrong with "Carriage Haitch" - unless you mean the outdated reference to a carriage vice coach?

 

[pne]

Also I don't know what's wrong with "Carriage Haitch" - unless you mean the outdated reference to a carriage vice coach?

My thought was more "Haitch" vs. "Aitch" for the name of the letter H.

 

[Russonomics]

This thread has impelled me to register.

We've got Ruth on the ATW 175's. She still gets awfully confused and sometimes gets so agitated she has to shout certain destinations. She gets awfully shouty when she's announcing CWMBRAN, LLANELLI and HAVERFORDWEST. On a bad particularly day she'll spaz out approaching Milford Haven (terminus), where she'll say "We will shortly be arriving in Milford Haven. This is a request stop..."

And for some reason the guards on the 175's tend to repeat what Ruth has just said completely verbatim.

Bonus fake edit: Notice how the voices in the Southern region always say "Southern" like it's a kind of innuendo?

 

[paddlesnap419]

This thread has impelled me to register.

We've got Ruth on the ATW 175's. She still gets awfully confused and sometimes gets so agitated she has to shout certain destinations. She gets awfully shouty when she's announcing CWMBRAN, LLANELLI and HAVERFORDWEST. On a bad particularly day she'll spaz out approaching Milford Haven (terminus), where she'll say "We will shortly be arriving in Milford Haven. This is a request stop..."

And for some reason the guards on the 175's tend to repeat what Ruth has just said completely verbatim.

Bonus fake edit: Notice how the voices in the Southern region always say "Southern" like it's a kind of innuendo?

This isn't helped by the fact that there are at least three different voices doing announcements on the ATW 175s.

 

[Parallel]

This isn't helped by the fact that there are at least three different voices doing announcements on the ATW 175s.

I think we all need to be thankful that the autoannouncer voice that sounded like a six year old that used to do the safety announcements has gone. Granted, the current "This is a... secuRITY... announcement" is irritating, though that's because of the pauses, not the voice generally.

The ATW 158s that have Ruth saying "We will be shortly be arriving at [Insert station]... thank you." are amusing too.

 

[Russonomics]

The ATW 158s that have Ruth saying "We will be shortly be arriving at [Insert station]... thank you." are amusing too.

Oh god the feeble "thank you" gets me every time.