Hello everybody and please listen up

[londonbridge]

Don’t know how long it’s been in use but I heard this announcement for the first time on the Victoria Line on Thursday:

“Hello everybody and please listen up. Take care on the escalators, hold on to the handrails and your luggage”.

Who on earth was responsible for this, apart from the “please listen up” street talk aspect, it’s in such a childish voice that it sounds as though it was recorded by a nine or ten year old….

 

[rebmcr]

Don’t know how long it’s been in use but I heard this announcement for the first time on the Victoria Line on Thursday:

“Hello everybody and please listen up. Take care on the escalators, hold on to the handrails and your luggage”.

Who on earth was responsible for this, apart from the “please listen up” street talk aspect, it’s in such a childish voice that it sounds as though it was recorded by a nine or ten year old….

There have been recordings of children previously (Baker Street if I recall correctly). They're intended to be more noticable.

 

[aaronspence]

Its sad such announcements exist at all, Its called common sense. Do they also announce that to board the train you need to move one leg forward then the other?

 

[bramling]

Don’t know how long it’s been in use but I heard this announcement for the first time on the Victoria Line on Thursday:

“Hello everybody and please listen up. Take care on the escalators, hold on to the handrails and your luggage”.

Who on earth was responsible for this, apart from the “please listen up” street talk aspect, it’s in such a childish voice that it sounds as though it was recorded by a nine or ten year old….

This wasn’t Warren Street by any chance?

 

[sharpinf]

This wasn’t Warren Street by any chance?

Not OP but I've heard it last week at Victoria (Victoria line platforms) being repeated very frequently

 

[londonbridge]

Yes, Victoria is where I’ve heard it.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

It's called re-inventing the wheel. During my time in the above ground rail industry, we lower mortals were put through this utter BS every time either a new senior management team/person entered the TOC or at any refranchise change. The people who think these things up are just trying justify their existence/pay grade, and in most cases (IMEX) normally moved on before too long. As for this announcement thing, I expect most daily travellers will just switch off to it..

 

[Samzino]

Its sad such announcements exist at all, Its called common sense. Do they also announce that to board the train you need to move one leg forward then the other?

Whilst you say this and yes it should be common sense but the numbers of injuries due to people doing the exact opposite and as a result luggage taking out people like pins in a bowling alley has been on the rise.

Tfl has been putting a lot more signage, trying staff on elizabeth line stations to man escalators and all other mitigation attempts to reduce the number of escalator incidents.

They'll keep recycling these attempts yes for safety but more to check off the books that on their side they've done all they can to warn said customer incase of claims or suits from the injured

 

[Ashley Hill]

Plymouth has audible warnings in the subway voiced by children. They sound like the voices on the dolls that Del Trotter sells and are mainly unintelligible when the stairs are busy or a train platformed.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Paddington Bakerloo Line had them a few years ago, creepy as hell if you ask me

 

[43096]

Whilst you say this and yes it should be common sense but the numbers of injuries due to people doing the exact opposite and as a result luggage taking out people like pins in a bowling alley has been on the rise.

Tfl has been putting a lot more signage, trying staff on elizabeth line stations to man escalators and all other mitigation attempts to reduce the number of escalator incidents.

They'll keep recycling these attempts yes for safety but more to check off the books that on their side they've done all they can to warn said customer incase of claims or suits from the injured

All these announcements will, at some time, become a safety problem. There will at some point be an event where a PA announcement is absolutely critical - station evacuation or whatever - and the punters will ignore it because they are just tuned out of the PA-piffle we are inflicted with currently, and there will be casualties as a result. Has anyone done a risk assessment on this? Bet we know the answer...

 

[3rd rail land]

Don’t know how long it’s been in use but I heard this announcement for the first time on the Victoria Line on Thursday:

“Hello everybody and please listen up. Take care on the escalators, hold on to the handrails and your luggage”.

Who on earth was responsible for this, apart from the “please listen up” street talk aspect, it’s in such a childish voice that it sounds as though it was recorded by a nine or ten year old….

That one has been in use at Victoria for several years. I used to use Victoria station on a very regular basis so I tuned out of all the recorded announcements as I have heard them all countless times. That message probably was recorded by a child.

 

[londonbridge]

That one has been in use at Victoria for several years. I used to use Victoria station on a very regular basis so I tuned out of all the recorded announcements as I have heard them all countless times. That message probably was recorded by a child.

Interesting, depends where I’m heading obviously but when I go into central London I to go via Victoria the most (closely followed by London Bridge, Waterloo less often), and Thursday was definitely the first time I’ve ever heard it, so no idea how I’ve managed to miss it if it’s been around for several years.

 

[Samzino]

All these announcements will, at some time, become a safety problem. There will at some point be an event where a PA announcement is absolutely critical - station evacuation or whatever - and the punters will ignore it because they are just tuned out of the PA-piffle we are inflicted with currently, and there will be casualties as a result. Has anyone done a risk assessment on this? Bet we know the answer...

The evacuation announcements and alarms are quite clear compared to the standard safety and repeative daily announcements. Plus there are visual ques etc in such situations after all there are passengers who can't hear who would need to know when an evacuation occurs

All these announcements will, at some time, become a safety problem. There will at some point be an event where a PA announcement is absolutely critical - station evacuation or whatever - and the punters will ignore it because they are just tuned out of the PA-piffle we are inflicted with currently, and there will be casualties as a result. Has anyone done a risk assessment on this? Bet we know the answer...

The evacuation announcements and alarms are quite vlear

 

[stadler]

I heard this as well. It sounds awful. Using the phrases "hello everybody" and "listen up" is far too casual. Such phrases have no place in station announcements.

If they really need such an announcement then here is what the announcement should have said:

"Ladies and gentlemen. May we have your attention please. Please take care whilst using the escalators and ensure you hold on to the handrails and your luggage. Thank you."

This would have sounded so much better and so much more professional.

 

[Mawkie]

Ladies and gentlemen. May we have your attention please. Please take care whilst using the escalators and ensure you hold on to the handrails and your luggage. Thank you."

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech. I always start my announcements with "Hello Everyone" as that's what London Underground ask me to do.

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Announcements need to be taken back to basics. We don't need 90% of them, what I want to hear as a traveler who relies on announcements rather than information displays is train arrival and departures, cancellations and delays, customer service updates regarding the here and now in other words services are heavily delayed or suspended due to an incident etc and not the continuous barrage of no smoking penalty fairs engineering works see it say it sorted

 

[InkyScrolls]

Announcements need to be taken back to basics. We don't need 90% of them, what I want to hear as a traveler who relies on announcements rather than information displays is train arrival and departures, cancellations and delays, customer service updates regarding the here and now in other words services are heavily delayed or suspended due to an incident etc and not the continuous barrage of no smoking penalty fairs engineering works see it say it sorted

100%.

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech. I always start my announcements with "Hello Everyone" as that's what London Underground ask me to do.

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

I always start with "ladies and gentlemen" as it sounds professional!

 

[Blindtraveler]

When I left school 20 years ago my eyesight wasn't as bad so I worked in retail for a while. Announcements I made then always started with good morning good afternoon good evening customers or if it was a little bit more critical such as a lost child or fire system test it would be may I have your attention please

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech. I always start my announcements with "Hello Everyone" as that's what London Underground ask me to do.

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

If companies must promote the far-left wing view that "ladies and gentlemen" is somehow now inadequate, then "Good morning customers" such as used on NSW Trainlink/Sydney Trains/METRO Trains Melbourne sounds far more professional than "Hello Everyone."

I always start with "ladies and gentlemen" as it sounds professional!

Far more so than any alternative phrase could.

 

[Dstock7080]

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech. I always start my announcements with "Hello Everyone" as that's what London Underground ask me to do.

Indeed, LUs Operational Standards Notice 163 dated August 2022 states:

‘Communicating to customers at stations’ to clarify that staff should not use gender-specific language when making public announcements. It is therefore advised that staff refrain from using the term ‘ladies and gentleman’ and use the term ‘customer announcement’ instead.

When the visionary Tim O’Toole took over as LU MD in 2003, one of his first acts was to ditch the former “customer information” announcement in favour of the “more welcoming” “ladies and gentlemen”.

Also this previous thread:

Tube to change 'ladies and gentlemen' announcements

Just seen this. The "ladies and gentleman" greeting on Tube announcements is to be scrapped, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. London Underground staff have been told to say "hello everyone" in an effort to become more gender-neutral. TfL said the move was to ensure all...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Bletchleyite]

If companies must promote the far-left wing view that "ladies and gentlemen" is somehow now inadequate, then "Good morning customers" such as used on NSW Trainlink/Sydney Trains/METRO Trains Melbourne sounds far more professional than "Hello Everyone."

"Your attention please" is perfectly fine and has been used for years. It's just some waffle at the start to allow the listener to "tune into" the voice before the actual message follows. Anne uses it in some contexts, I think when a cancellation is going to follow.

I am not a fan of "hello everyone", it sounds a bit primary school, and recognise why "ladies and gentlemen" is probably a little dated.

 

[geoffk]

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

Still used at Wimbledon though (as in tennis, not railway).

 

[Krokodil]

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech.

Presumably on the basis that on the night tube there are few passengers behaving in a ladylike or gentlemanly way. Describing them using the more accurate "drunken morons" would probably get someone moaning on Twitter. That said, I have been known to yell "will the twit with the black bag stand back from the edge?" down the platform when all else has failed.

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

That's a matter of opinion. "Hello everybody" is far too informal. It reminds me of primary school and makes me want to chant back "good morning Mrs Jones, good morning everyone".

Better not to prefix at all, just say "this train is for X, the next stop is Y". Then when any out of course announcements need to be said (such as when there is disruption) "may I have your attention, please" denotes the announcement as something important.

Announcements need to be taken back to basics. We don't need 90% of them, what I want to hear as a traveler who relies on announcements rather than information displays is train arrival and departures, cancellations and delays, customer service updates regarding the here and now in other words services are heavily delayed or suspended due to an incident etc and not the continuous barrage of no smoking penalty fairs engineering works see it say it sorted

I'm on an ECE and the guard read out a list of invalid tickets before departure. It's just like home!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Better not to prefix at all, just say "this train is for X, the next stop is Y".

A "bong" helps tune in for this sort of announcement. The old InterCity harp strum* did that and really exuded quality.

* Often this is associated with Virgin Trains, but the late-90s Mk3 refurb was specced by InterCity (else it'd have involved red seats, I'm sure ).

 

[Krokodil]

A "bong" helps tune in for this sort of announcement. The old InterCity harp strum* did that and really exuded quality.

Just as I read that I heard the SBB chimes go off for the PA on this train - probably the most classy in my view. I miss the three or four note chime you used to hear at UK stations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just as I read that I heard the SBB chimes go off for the PA on this train - probably the most classy in my view.

I really do like the SBB chimes, and how each one indicates one letter of its 9 letter acronym, and how the relevant one is played depending on the language of the bit you're in. I wish TfW would do something like that (and swap to English first when in England).

That said, my favourite one by far is the German double decker hauled sets that play the first bar of the anthem of the Bundesland they are in as the chime. It's just a lovely quirk. A bit like the Class 175s which play something that is very similar to the first bar of Land of my Fathers but not *quite*.

I do think audio brands are quite important - I did a thread on it a while back - surprises me the railway hasn't come up with a little jingle, or each TOC even. If you listen to a commercial radio station near enough every advert contains one now. I think Nestle might have been first at it with the "do do do de do" thing.

But back properly to the thread, having a jingle does mean you don't need "tuning in" waffle like "Ladies and Gentlemen", so is a good way of avoiding this slightly thorny issue.

 

[MaidaVale]

Announcement scheduling on stations are entirely up to the individual station supervisors and will in pretty much every case, differ between every station (apart from the odd few on the same staffing group). There are published guidelines for what announcements should be set to play, although these are often overlooked.

 

[davetheguard]

Its sad such announcements exist at all, Its called common sense. Do they also announce that to board the train you need to move one leg

Full-on nanny in action....!

 

[VauxhallandI]

Except, ladies and gentlemen doesn't align with current thinking around inclusive speech. I always start my announcements with "Hello Everyone" as that's what London Underground ask me to do.

Ladies and gentlemen doesn't have an air of professionalism to me, it sounds dated and old fashioned.

When in reality it is the complete opposite