LU Lines: See it, say it, sorted

[bakerstreet]

I heard this for the first time on the Northern line last week - by which I mean actually in the tube car itself whilst in motion.

It includes a different form of words.

Instead of ‘if something doesn’t look right’, it’s something like ‘if you see something unusual’ which I think is both useful and confusing.

Unusual behaviour can be malevolent but still ‘look right, but I wonder how most people might define unusual’?

Have done quite a lot of tube travel recently, but only heard this on the Northern line so far.

It’s a male voice which is in contrast to the tube stops and interchange announcements.

 

[Lewlew]

Bakerloo has gained that announcement too albeit a female voice. It only comes on when approaching 2 stations and is quieter than the other ones so is difficult to hear. They got put in when the Lizzie line opened for the interchange at Paddington.

 

[Mikey C]

I heard this for the first time on the Northern line last week - by which I mean actually in the tube car itself whilst in motion.

It includes a different form of words.

Instead of ‘if something doesn’t look right’, it’s something like ‘if you see something unusual’ which I think is both useful and confusing.

Unusual behaviour can be malevolent but still ‘look right, but I wonder how most people might define unusual’?

Have done quite a lot of tube travel recently, but only heard this on the Northern line so far.

It’s a male voice which is in contrast to the tube stops and interchange announcements.

Really annoying that the is Tube is now also being plagued with that announcement!

 

[Recessio]

Because its a male voice at first I thought it was a driver making an announcement - I don't think there's ever been a male voice used before for on-train automated announcements on London Underground?

 

[bakerstreet]

Because its a male voice at first I thought it was a driver making an announcement - I don't think there's ever been a male voice used before for on-train automated announcements on London Underground?

There used to be - I think - a chap called Michael Meech, a legend for a number of reasons - he’d been with London Transport for years and was the voice of syndicated travel news back when this was supplied directly from LT itself.

I cannot find his announcements but TfL recently refused an FOI (not from me) and they appear to have been removed in the mid 2010s

Michael Meech automated announcements. - a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London

Hello sir/madam. Under the Freedom Of Information Act i would like to request you to please send me the automated announcements files of all Michael Meech automated announcements (which have now all been removed in 2016). You can send them to me in mp3 files or whatever type of sound file is...

www.whatdotheyknow.com

Here’s a forum thread from the time

New Jubilee Line Announcements

Has the Michael Meech "all change, please," "thank you for travelling on the Jubilee line" and "please keep your personal belongings with you at all times" been removed now? Or re-recorded with Celia? Rerecorded with Celia fortunately Do we know that for certain? While I have heard the new...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Lewlew]

Because its a male voice at first I thought it was a driver making an announcement - I don't think there's ever been a male voice used before for on-train automated announcements on London Underground?

Don’t the S stock have a male voice?

 

[Dstock7080]

Don’t the S stock have a male voice?

Only for the “mind the gap between the train and platform” one

 

[Recessio]

Don’t the S stock have a male voice?

Only for the “mind the gap between the train and platform” one

This is true - but I was thinking of the main announcements: next stop, destination, interchanges etc.

 

[Lockwood]

If you see something unusual... My train turned up on time and wasn't cancelled.

Or, for the tube, my train wasn't packed like a can of sardines and boiling

 

[MCR247]

I heard a see it say it sorted automated announcement on the 1972ts between Waterloo and Paddington - I think it was played before Regents Park. Female announcer

 

[Lewlew]

I heard a see it say it sorted automated announcement on the 1972ts between Waterloo and Paddington - I think it was played before Regents Park. Female announcer

Regents Park and Wembley Central

 

[Mojo]

Unfortunately this nonsense seems to have spread to the Piccadilly line. Just heard it with male voice, also saying 61016 in a different way to everywhere else. It was played along with the “the next station is Sudbury Town” announcement.

 

[Mawkie]

Unfortunately this nonsense seems to have spread to the Piccadilly line. Just heard it with male voice, also saying 61016 in a different way to everywhere else. It was played along with the “the next station is Sudbury Town” announcement.

I'm surprised to hear this. As I understand it, it's extremely expensive to change the Digital Voice Assistant on the 73 Stock. Will have to have a listen out for it.

Edit: Apparently it's been amended to (finally) drop the Heathrow T1 part of the Heathrow announcement and include the Elizabeth Line too.

Edit edit: oh gosh, I see what you mean about the strange phrasing of the police number. After so long of hearing 610-16, LU have decided it's 6-101-6!

The "see it" message also plays at the other end of the line too, but not through the core, strangely and around Hyde Park Corner.

 

[Mikey C]

Have TfL explained why this message is now being played so regularly on the Underground. I heard it twice within 15 minutes on the Northern Line, then once on a 5 minute Liz Line train, repeated on the return journey so 6 times in 40 minutes

 

[Lockwood]

7/7 anniversary?
Manchester Arena report developments?

 

[bramling]

Because its a male voice at first I thought it was a driver making an announcement - I don't think there's ever been a male voice used before for on-train automated announcements on London Underground?

The 73 stock had a male voice when first refurbished, however it was only ever able to be triggered manually by the driver, so was comparatively rarely heard. When the system was enhanced to announce each station automatically, the voice was changed to Julie Berry.

 

[rebmcr]

Have TfL explained why this message is now being played so regularly on the Underground. I heard it twice within 15 minutes on the Northern Line, then once on a 5 minute Liz Line train, repeated on the return journey so 6 times in 40 minutes

In case you see something that doesn't look right.

 

[43301]

In case you see something that doesn't look right.

Because obviously, if you saw someone doing something that looked well dodgy you wouldn't think to call the police unless there had been an announcement telling you that this was the correct course of action

 

[HuggyB87]

Edit edit: oh gosh, I see what you mean about the strange phrasing of the police number. After so long of hearing 610-16, LU have decided it's 6-101-6!

That sounds like an effort to make the number much more memorable. 101 being the Police non-emergency number; just wrap it up in 6's. Probably the whole purpose and reason why the number is 61016 - and I've never noticed the 101; its always been 6-10-16. Until now!

 

[trebor79]

I'm not sure how you would call or text the police whilst on the deep level tube anyway. All a bit silly.

 

[Mojo]

I'm not sure how you would call or text the police whilst on the deep level tube anyway. All a bit silly.

They also accept emails which I have used many times over the station Wifi when reporting vagrants or other beggars, I’m not sure why this service isn’t publicised more on the Underground given the lack of signal.

In any case, the rollout of 4G signal on the Underground has already started and will be completed by the end of 2024.

 

[jon0844]

On all but O2 (AFAIK) you can text using Wi-Fi, as long as your phone supports Voice over Wi-Fi (and most phones for some time now should).

I do think the way the number is said should be consistent. While it's obviously the same number, the idea is to imprint the number on everyone's brain so they instinctively remember it - and when you change the format or even how you say it (like six one oh one six or six one zero one six) it can seem like a different number. Obviously this isn't an issue when printed or shown on a CIS/PIS.

 

[Mawkie]

In case you see something that doesn't look right.

Except the Underground message starts "When you see something unusual....", so even that isn't consistent with other rail operators.

 

[rebmcr]

That sounds like an effort to make the number much more memorable. 101 being the Police non-emergency number; just wrap it up in 6's. Probably the whole purpose and reason why the number is 61016 - and I've never noticed the 101; its always been 6-10-16. Until now!

It has always seemed like 61-016 to me from announcements.

 

[Mikey C]

I'm tempted to text that number to complain about the number of announcements repeating that number

 

[Domh245]

I'm tempted to text that number to complain about the number of announcements repeating that number

Yes, it thought it very suspicious that announcements started being made about it all of a sudden!!

 

[Mojo]

On all but O2 (AFAIK) you can text using Wi-Fi, as long as your phone supports Voice over Wi-Fi (and most phones for some time now should).

I’ve never been able to do this, only if I’m sending an iMessage.

 

[jon0844]

I’ve never been able to do this, only if I’m sending an iMessage.

What network? Your account will also need to be provisioned for it (on Vodafone you can text CALLING to 97888) or activated within the phone settings.

Once active, whenever you're connected to a Wi-Fi network that is considered fast/stable enough (and doesn't block services) then calls and texts will go via that instead of the mobile network.

 

[Hadders]

I’ve never been able to do this, only if I’m sending an iMessage.

I've made voice calls from an Underground platform using voice over WiFi using my iphone.

 

[Mojo]

I've made voice calls from an Underground platform using voice over WiFi using my iphone.

Yeah you can use Wifi calling but have never been able to send a text message, unless the recipient has an iPhone.