Northern re-records 34 station name announcements with local pronunciation

[Geeves]

I would not be surprised if this whole mess is just a personal project of David Curtis wanting to change everything for some reason. He got the job as their Onboard Systems Service Delivery Manager (basically a fancy term for PIS manager) in early March 2023 and then around three months later at the end of May 2023 and beginning of June 2023 was when Peter Corley started replaced Trisha Jarman and all this mess and constant changing of scripts and voices started. So i think it is very obvious that David Curtis is the person responsible for this mess that their PIS has turned in to. It can not just be coincidence that everything started being messed up as soon as he got the job managing the PIS on their trains.

If he is in charge of the destinations on the trains too I wonder if it is him that has come up with "See station Displays" instead of just showing Not in service or the destination on the train CIS, its a waste of time because the station screens are always wrong as well because of the garbage Ketech system! Train says "See Station displays" Screens erroneously say "This train does not stop here" when it clearly does! The passengers are so confused by it all. Either that or "system rebuilding"
As you say It sounds horrendous now with different voices doing the same announcements.

 

[Adam0984]

It's a shambles it really is

 

[alexl92]

David’s announcements are quite fast when reeling off the list of calling points on the CAF units, and some stations are badly cut so you get a train arriving at ‘Auldeth Road’ or ‘Anchester Oxford Road’.


I like the Geordie lady’s voice - Are we able to attribute a name to her voice?

I do agree about the speed.

And there are valid points elsewhere about the quality.

Re her name, I won’t share as she has chosen not even to mention it internally - if people recognise her, she doesn’t mind, but I won’t reveal her without her permission!

 

[skyhigh]

If he is in charge of the destinations on the trains too I wonder if it is him that has come up with "See station Displays" instead of just showing Not in service or the destination on the train CIS

"See station displays" should only show when there is an error with the system, normally the headcode has been entered but not the correct journey selected on the TCMS. Hence it can't show the actual destination.

It all comes across as so bonkers that an operator would change their announcements this much. Why after only two years did David Curtis decide to replace Peter Corley with his own voice. If there is an issue with or a dislike of the Peter Corley announcements then surely the sensible thing would be to revert back to the Trisha Jarman announcements which should never have been replaced.

The announcements were originally replaced because they needed some new ones doing, and it was felt better to use a staff member because further changes could be easily and cheaply done. Unfortunately, it's more difficult to release a front line colleague than was expected, as if there's no available cover it's a case of cancel trains and do the recordings or don't do the recordings.

From what I've heard, Peter was fed up with doing it and declined to do any more. As well as the recent re-recordings, new recordings have been made for the rollout of live delay/cancellation reasons. This is why you couldn't just revert back to the previous ones as the new recordings needed simply didn't exist.

This functionality will be switched on imminently, probably as soon as the new announcements are fully deployed.

Essentially the option was pay for professional recordings for new stations plus delay reasons (of which there are 80+) or use someone else internal to do it instead. And given it's already his job and doesn't need to be released to do it, the new choice makes sense.

 

[D1537]

I noticed that Redcar has gone back to being "Red-car". I'm sure it was "Red-kuh" at some point, or did I imagine that?

 

[Sf9k]

I noticed that Redcar has gone back to being "Red-car". I'm sure it was "Red-kuh" at some point, or did I imagine that?

It's always been Red-kuh with Peter Corley. Haven't heard the new one yet, but I'm currently on a train to Darlington and noticed that David Curtis has fully taken over, with a new woman voicing the mind the gap announcement...

 

[D1537]

It's always been Red-kuh with Peter Corley. Haven't heard the new one yet, but I'm currently on a train to Darlington and noticed that David Curtis has fully taken over, with a new woman voicing the mind the gap announcement...

This is a woman's voice although it's just occurred to me that it was a TPE announcement, not a Northern one. As you were

 

[j37401]

I noticed on a service from Newton le Willows to Lime St that Saint Helens Junction was pronounced as Sunt Ellens Junction which i would say is how most would say it.

 

[ricoblade]

Yesterday I was on an afternoon Northern Sheffield to Hull service and it was the usual Northern voice but "Doncaster" had been inserted in a completely different voice.

 

[GoneSouth]

Now I’ve heard the new voices I can honestly say it does sound like a bunch of amateurs at work for Northern again. Not that there would be much wrong with the voice had they just done a more professional job with the recordings.

It’s just so northern to have t’blokes do t’navigation (in this case announcing the stations) and t’women doin ‘clean up before ye leave and take care pet’ mum type messages.

I prefer a female voice doing all the announcements to be honest, I quite like the GWR ones.

10 out of 10 to Northern for trying to highlight their regional variations

4 out of 10 for execution.

Presumably somebody also thought to record the names of all the new stations in the plans for the next 10 years to make sure they don’t have to do any horrible jarring insertions later…
No, thought not!

 

[FrontSideBus]

Usually a waste of time anyway since the regional accented guard usually comes on the Tannoy after the automatic announcement and repeats it!

 

[Discuss223]

The grumpy older man seems to have been replaced by the shy, adolescent-sounding man for the most but the Class 170s still retain the grumpy older man.

I'm not a fan of the squeaky Geordie woman either.

When I first heard her, it sounded Welsh, I thought it was something to do with TFW Rail having CAF units and Northern adopting their announcer as an add on.

Regional accents are not good for clear, effective and professional communication.

A received pronunciation voice would be better, such as the lady who does the announcements at Rotherham Central.

 

[Meerkat]

Regional accents are not good for clear, effective and professional communication.

A received pronunciation voice would be better, such as the lady who does the announcements at Rotherham Central.

I agree. Locals will understand RP, outsiders might struggle with a local accent (especially if they don’t know how the name is pronounced anyway)

 

[AM9]

I agree. Locals will understand RP, outsiders might struggle with a local accent (especially if they don’t know how the name is pronounced anyway)

Basically this local accent thing on Northern is a gimmick and doesn't serve any useful purpose.

 

[Wolfie]

Basically this local accent thing on Northern is a gimmick and doesn't serve any useful purpose.

Agreed, particularly given the vast variety of accents within Northern's area of operation.

 

[PyrahnaRanger]

Regional accents are not good for clear, effective and professional communication.

I agree. Locals will understand RP, outsiders might struggle with a local accent (especially if they don’t know how the name is pronounced anyway)

Allus saying marra, is if thou divent ken Spyatri lowp out, tha's ne business been in Spyatri...

RP is fine, but I feel you also need to apply a little local knowledge (if not the accent!) to it. For example, Northern 's professional announcements gor Aspatria wrong - it was quite clear someone had only ever seen it written down - so instead of being A/spatri/a you got Ass/pat/ria. No longer stations, but think also about Bassenthwaite (Basuntht) or Keswick (Kezick), and never actually a station but the infamous Torpenhow (Tripenna). Now three of those aren't really going to cause any problems, so what's the issue with using the local pronunciation?

*Apologies to Lancashire, Yorkshire, Tyneside et al - Northern covers a lot of places with strange sounding names, but being a proud Cumbrian, I've used those closest to hand!

 

[AM9]

Allus saying marra, is if thou divent ken Spyatri lowp out, tha's ne business been in Spyatri...

RP is fine, but I feel you also need to apply a little local knowledge (if not the accent!) to it. For example, Northern 's professional announcements gor Aspatria wrong - it was quite clear someone had only ever seen it written down - so instead of being A/spatri/a you got Ass/pat/ria. No longer stations, but think also about Bassenthwaite (Basuntht) or Keswick (Kezick), and never actually a station but the infamous Torpenhow (Tripenna). Now three of those aren't really going to cause any problems, so what's the issue with using the local pronunciation?

*Apologies to Lancashire, Yorkshire, Tyneside et al - Northern covers a lot of places with strange sounding names, but being a proud Cumbrian, I've used those closest to hand!

There are problems using obscure pronounciations of local places where those passengers with the least knowledge of the area and services are likely to be visitors so they will be listening for somethiong that at least sounds a bit like the word as read rather than the local pronunciation. It seems like Northern Trains are trying to create a 'Yorkshire Theme Park' atmosphere.

 

[contrex]

Slightly off-topic but First Bus in Bristol have got a local lady to record the 'next stop' announcements and her accent is very broad. I was hesitant to say how much she annoys me but several people have told me they feel that way.

 

[londonmidland]

Trisha and Sebastian were perfect, as you could hear their regional accent but it wasn't overwhelming strong, to the point where you're mocking it or struggling to understand what is being said.

Though I don't think R.P should be used everywhere, as there should be a bit of variety instead of the 'Standard British, Southern sounding accent'.

 

[FrontSideBus]

Anybody remember that skit of Yorkshire Airlines? Northern Trains are not quite there yet but close

 

[AM9]

Trisha and Sebastian were perfect, as you could hear their regional accent but it wasn't overwhelming strong, to the point where you're mocking it or struggling to understand what is being said.

Though I don't think R.P should be used everywhere, as there should be a bit of variety instead of the 'Standard British, Southern sounding accent'.

There's nothing wrong with a local accent, provided it isn't too strong, - maybe something like local TV and Radio presenters. It's the extremities of some placenames that cause problems where in Yorkshire there are even some local disputes about how they are pronounced from people living on opposite sides of the hill. I'm sure that some get amusement from outsiders saying placenames just as they are spelt, rather a cheap laugh really, maybe they believe in 'The League Of Gentlemen' approach, i.e. to paraphrase "local placenames for local people", it's a bit childish and it doesn't help visitors much, - (maybe that's the intention).

 

[ricoblade]

The Northern stopper Sheffield<>Hope this week had the new, bland, lot younger voice but with stations badly inserted, like a bad school project.

 

[PyrahnaRanger]

. It's the extremities of some placenames that cause problems where in Yorkshire there are even some local disputes about how they are pronounced

I suspect those are accidents of geography and history which will disappear over time. My parents grew up in the 60s in two towns about 8 miles apart, and sometimes use different words for the same thing, nevermind different pronunciations... By contrast, my children's school has pupils from a much wider area, all of whom speak in a much more uniform fashion, which I attribute to two factors - the first being the way phonics is taught lends itself much more heavily towards RP, and the second being that they all develop a mid-atlantic accent with high rising terminals when playing, which would appear to be influenced by what they watch on TV/streaming/YouTube.

In which case... Maybe we should be less precious about our pronunciation and get an American to do it

 

[GoneSouth]

I suspect those are accidents of geography and history which will disappear over time. My parents grew up in the 60s in two towns about 8 miles apart, and sometimes use different words for the same thing, nevermind different pronunciations... By contrast, my children's school has pupils from a much wider area, all of whom speak in a much more uniform fashion, which I attribute to two factors - the first being the way phonics is taught lends itself much more heavily towards RP, and the second being that they all develop a mid-atlantic accent with high rising terminals when playing, which would appear to be influenced by what they watch on TV/streaming/YouTube.

In which case... Maybe we should be less precious about our pronunciation and get an American to do it

Unfortunately aww da kids is growin up tawkin like dis so we will be rid of the regional accent soon enough.

I do think some professionally recorded voices for northern with a slight regional accent could be great. Imagine Brian Blessed announcing that you are now arriving at slaithwaite, or should that be Slowwit

I used public transport with an American voicing stops recently, I got very irritating very quickly so that idea is a no from me.

 

[AM9]

Unfortunately aww da kids is growin up tawkin like dis so we will be rid of the regional accent soon enough.

I do think some professionally recorded voices for northern with a slight regional accent could be great. Imagine Brian Blessed announcing that you are now arriving at slaithwaite, or should that be Slowwit

I used public transport with an American voicing stops recently, I got very irritating very quickly so that idea is a no from me.

No, Brian Blessed should record the 'stand behind the yellow line' announcement

 

[railrambler]

I’ve just got off the Carlisle to Appleby train and this “new guy” can’t pronounce Kirkoswald that’s for sure !

 

[Adam0984]

I’ve just got off the Carlisle to Appleby train and this “new guy” can’t pronounce Kirkoswald that’s for sure !

The old one was worse, sounded like Kirk-sozzled

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I’ve just got off the Carlisle to Appleby train and this “new guy” can’t pronounce Kirkoswald that’s for sure !

So, how should it (= 'Kirkoswald') be pronounced?

 

[Meerkat]

When I hear these debates I can’t help thinking…
”you are pronouncing it wrong”
”I think the problem is that you are spelling it wrong”

But then that applies to half the English language!

 

[northernchris]

I’ve just got off the Carlisle to Appleby train and this “new guy” can’t pronounce Kirkoswald that’s for sure !

He struggles with Saltaire too, it sounded like Sawltaire on the 331 I was on yesterday