Overlapping anouncements at busy stations

[flitwickbeds]

Was at the London Bridge Thameslink platforms last night around 6:30pm (I know, what was I thinking?!). The announcements were constant, barking, loud... and as a result totally inaudible. There were literally so many manual simultaneous announcements happening on different adjoining platforms that you actually couldn't focus and it was just a wall of incomprehensible noise.

I've been in the same place at a weekend during the day before and while there were no manual announcements then, there was an automated "see it, say it, sorted" announcement that triggered simultaneously on every platform. However due to the slight delay on each one, it became a jumbled mess (if you you see suspicious talk suspicious talk to a member member member of member of of staff staff staff")

I appreciate that at busy, open stations like LBG it's impossible to coordinate announcements so that only one platform has one at once. But is there anything else that can be done to ensure announcements are actually useful?

(I wish I'd gotten a recording, it really was just a shouting match)

 

[BzRail]

Was at the London Bridge Thameslink platforms last night around 6:30pm (I know, what was I thinking?!). The announcements were constant, barking, loud... and as a result totally inaudible. There were literally so many manual simultaneous announcements happening on different adjoining platforms that you actually couldn't focus and it was just a wall of incomprehensible noise.....

It was worse at St Pancras Themeslink platforms in the evening peak (not been there for several months though).

Only 2 plaforms, but the enclosed space made the noise unbearable and pointless. The on-platform announcers, with their radio handsets, were continually shouting over each other. Just one of them was bad enough because the sound was so badly distorted.

They would also often wait until a train was clattering and squealing past before trying to shout over that as well. There was no chance of knowing where the next train was going if you coudn't see the screens. Just had to hope that the display on the train itself was working, and correct.

They need to shut up and let the automated system do its job, leave the manual announcements for disruption and emergencies.

My ears still hurt.

 

[NealG]

Overlapping announcements reminded me of an office lift that would say "doors closing" and "lift going down" but when at the top floor it would cut itself off and say "doors going down". Fortunately the rest of the lift followed suit and went down with the doors!

 

[Hophead]

It used to be the case, and hopefully still is, that alternate platforms would have a male or female automated announcement for departures (well, that's what I remember from Gatwick anyway and I think that's how Richmond works these days).

Special announcements, though, just come in the one format - a similar overlap occurred every 3 minutes or so at Clapham Junction this morning. So far as I could tell, there are engineering works somewhere this weekend.

 

[Mordac]

Overlapping announcements reminded me of an office lift that would say "doors closing" and "lift going down" but when at the top floor it would cut itself off and say "doors going down". Fortunately the rest of the lift followed suit and went down with the doors!

Wouldn't that actually imply there would be a gaping hole left onto the lift well?

 

[furnessvale]

This is most annoying, not only on stations but also trains.

You have an automated announcement by a professional speaker, only to have a member of staff cutting in and repeating the same information in a very unprofessional manner.

By all means cut in when things have gone awry, but when things are running well, leave it to the preprepared auto system.

 

[swt_passenger]

This is most annoying, not only on stations but also trains.

You have an automated announcement by a professional speaker, only to have a member of staff cutting in and repeating the same information in a very unprofessional manner.

By all means cut in when things have gone awry, but when things are running well, leave it to the preprepared auto system.

Especially as the auto announcement then usually restarts with a repeat of the announcement that was originally interfered with...

 

[Mordac]

Happens on trains too, when the guard will repeat verbatim what the PIS just said.

 

[ashkeba]

Happens on trains too, when the guard will repeat verbatim what the PIS just said.

Yes but the automatic announcements are now so common that frequent travellers ignore them and continue reading their phone or book. Anything really important will be said by a live person.

 

[furnessvale]

Yes but the automatic announcements are now so common that frequent travellers ignore them and continue reading their phone or book. Anything really important will be said by a live person.

As I said, when things go awry, by all means override the auto announce.

 

[ashkeba]

As I said, when things go awry, by all means override the auto announce.

Yes, but some types of awry are common enough to be auto announce, yet few react until it is said live. Platform alterations at King's Cross used to be one but I've not heard the auto for a while.

 

[jamesst]

Wouldn't that actually imply there would be a gaping hole left onto the lift well?

I'd be more worried at the top floor if it said lift or doors going up!!!

 

[onlinespotting]

This is most annoying, not only on stations but also trains.

You have an automated announcement by a professional speaker, only to have a member of staff cutting in and repeating the same information in a very unprofessional manner.

By all means cut in when things have gone awry, but when things are running well, leave it to the preprepared auto system.

. - this happens a LOT at Birmingham New Street

 

[thenorthern]

At Manchester Piccadilly the tannoys at one point weren't synchronised meaning the announcements sounded like they had an echo and it was very very annoying.