Annunicator Sounds

[Deleted]

One thing that always surprised me about the D stock refurb is that when the driver makes a PA, there are no annunciator sounds to let the passengers know that the driver is about to speak. Some drivers just start talking, while others blow into the mouthpiece to get people's attention.

Has anyone ever suggested adding an annunciator chime to the 2009TS or S stock so that when a driver makes a PA, the passengers know about it?

[Chris M]

If this is added, a single low-medium pitch tone would be much preferable to any fancy jingles!

[prjb]

No one has thought of this. The Customer Information System (CIS) is going through a lot of reviews right now, I will raise it and see what others think. It makes sense to me though, Thanks!

[agoodcuppa]

Additional to Chris M's thoughts ....

What about a nice simple verbal message, e.g. "Oi!!! I'm talking to you!!" ;D

I offer this as I know far too many passengers are so wrapped up in their own conversation, reading the paper, listing to their walkman or whatever that they don't hear.

[prjb]

I think in the future the drivers will have so little input into the CIS that when a manual annoucement is made it will be extremely unusual.

[Deleted]

Well, in Sinagapore the MRT has a rising three tone chime whenever the DVA is going to say something, from "Next station, Jurong East Interchange" to "Plaese do not eat or drink on railway premises".

[prjb]

Blimey, no drinking? We hand out water during the summer!

[donnytom]

Are the noises seen as unnecessary these days? Railway stations (certainly Doncaster, Sheffield and Leeds that I remember) don't bother with tones before announcements any more.

[Deleted]

Well, nothing beats the Xylophone chimes at Norwich, followed by a deep Norfolk accent, through which one could work out, that the train in platform 2 was for London Liverpool Street!

[Deleted]

donnytom said:

Are the noises seen as unnecessary these days? Railway stations (certainly Doncaster, Sheffield and Leeds that I remember) don't bother with tones before announcements any more.

Along Shenfield to LLS line, they don't either.... although you have got a *very* annoying woman at Shenfield who does the annoucements during the weekdays .... at weekends they use the CIS ....

So, during the week, you heard something like

'' The next train to arrive in platform 1, is the oh nine forty five serviceeeeeeee calling at Romfurd, Stratfurd, and London Liverpool Street ''

( Sorry if this is off topic - delete if necessary )

[orienteer]

All public announcements in Japan, on railways and in department stores for example, are preceded by the above-mentioned rising three note tone. It always strikes me that similar signals here, including the door closing and pelican crossing tones, are irritatingly harsh sounds. Japanese ones are always more gentle and so less intrusive somehow. For example, on road crossings, bird songs such as the cuckoo sound are used - far more civilised and harmonious!

[frimm]

orienteer said:

It always strikes me that similar signals here, including the door closing and pelican crossing tones, are irritatingly harsh sounds. Japanese ones are always more gentle and so less intrusive somehow. For example, on road crossings, bird songs such as the cuckoo sound are used - far more civilised and harmonious!

Yup your right.......... but the pelican crossing and door closing sounds over here are chosen for the effect they have on their respective audiences.......... If I were to hear a cuckoo call when I was either boarding a tube or crossing a pelican.......... I'd probably stop and wonder where it was and end up being run over or have thick ears from the closing doors respectively

[Deleted]

To dispatch a train from Margate, Platform 4 a station man used to press a plunger on platform 1, which rang a most deafening bell, telling the Gaurd it was all clear to proceed... The bay road had no starting signal... The bell system worked, until some rather opulent style houses were built in the old coal yard, not a stones throw from platform 4... The bell was replaced, by a flashing light.... Was wonderful to see someone standing under the bell, and you'd get this feeling of ... Get ready to jump... I'd wander off towards the front of the train, and await the imminent.... sure enough, one star jump was performed....

[Tomcakes]

Don't a lot of drivers start with "Your attention please..." or "Good evening ladies and gentlemen" for particularly unique announcements (obviously "mind the doors" "move down inside the cars" is different), such that passengers can become aware the driver is speaking and the bit they invariably miss is only an "introductory" bit.

I know that radio scripts are designed in this way - for example

"The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has decided to increase tax on cigarettes..."

rather than

"Tax on cigarettes is to go up"

Such that if people miss the start of the piece, it's not the vital information that gets missed.

[bwhughes]

What will the door chimes on the 09TS and S sound like?

I think a buzzer similar to that used on the Paris Metro (in pitch F, sounding a little like an accordion - characteristic in France) could be a good change from the extremely quick succession of pitch B (or C# as on the Jubilee and Northern lines) beeps there are at the moment.

However, the 1995/6 stocks have gone some way towards Japan - there's almost always a non-harsh two-note tune coming on as the doors open

There was a suggestion on another thread that announcements should be made on the platform telling people not to attempt to board the train because it is ready to leave!

This would be great for preventing delays by passengers trapping themselves in doors - if people try to enter after the warning they are under the negative attention of everyone else in the platform area!

[Chris M]

The nicest door sound that I can think of is that used on the Tyne and Wear Metro. I can't tell you what note it is (I'm tone deaf), but it is lower than that used on the 92 stock quite a bit.

[Deleted]

bwhughes said:

There was a suggestion on another thread that announcements should be made on the platform telling people not to attempt to board the train because it is ready to leave!

This would be great for preventing delays by passengers trapping themselves in doors - if people try to enter after the warning they are under the negative attention of everyone else in the platform area!

Sorry to sound negative, but people will attempt to get on when they are warned that the doors are closing. Many will as they now do continue to walk down the platform until they see and hear the doors closing, then jam themselves on.

[william]

bwhughes said:

There was a suggestion on another thread that announcements should be made on the platform telling people not to attempt to board the train because it is ready to leave!

This would be great for preventing delays by passengers trapping themselves in doors - if people try to enter after the warning they are under the negative attention of everyone else in the platform area!

In my experience an audible warning not to board the train because the doors are about to be closed, is usually taken as "get in quickly before we miss it"

[Deleted]

Unless the warning was a bit vocal..

"NO! Bad Commuters! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING" pssssshhhhhh doors are closed.

[trainopd78]

Actually the customers do use the chimes as a i've got a couple of seconds left warning, so still attempt the board. What they actually mean is do not even think about boarding this train, please wait for the next one!! It's just a shame I cant actually say that over a PA system.

[bwhughes]

The nicest door sound that I can think of is that used on the Tyne and Wear Metro. I can't tell you what note it is (I'm tone deaf), but it is lower than that used on the 92 stock quite a bit.

I went on the Tyne and Wear Metro just after last X Mas and the door chime was a low 'D' buzzer note followed by simply 'DOORS CLOSING'. Actually I think the buzzer sound is even slightly more dull than even the chimes used in London, however it is a lot more quiet and less intrusive!

[Deleted]

The thing I like about the 73ts stock, is you can hold yer finger on the door close button for eternity and the chimes will continue to sound away, but the doors won't close until you release the button...

[Deleted]

tubeoperator92 said:

The thing I like about the 73ts stock, is you can hold yer finger on the door close button for eternity and the chimes will continue to sound away, but the doors won't close until you release the button...

Exactly the same on the 73's .

The best one was the 95's , if you press the selective re open buttons at anytime when the main doors are open , when you close the main doors, no door chimes will sound at all , brilliant when you have the I'm breaking the rules with a naughty word who is legging it down the plaftorm choosing which carraige to get in , even better when u see his face and actions as u look in the cctv as you are leaving the platform !!! :-) :-)

[Deleted]

seniorpiccdriver said:

The best one was the 95's , if you press the selective re open buttons at anytime when the main doors are open , when you close the main doors, no door chimes will sound at all , brilliant when you have the I'm breaking the rules with a naughty word who is legging it down the plaftorm choosing which carraige to get in , even better when u see his face and actions as u look in the cctv as you are leaving the platform !!! :-) :-)

You get the same result if you lift the PA handset on the refurbished D stock, but I would never do such a thing

[Deleted]

jim said:

You get the same result if you lift the PA handset on the refurbished D stock, but I would never do such a thing

The lack of door chimes when using the PA on a refurb D stock can be a real pain. Because the recorded mind the doors often takes so long to play, I will sometimes pick up the PA and say "mind the doors" but then no door chimes!

[trainopd78]

tubeoperator92 said:

The thing I like about the 73ts stock, is you can hold yer finger on the door close button for eternity and the chimes will continue to sound away, but the doors won't close until you release the button...

I was so disappointed when I found out the D stock refirbs weren't going to get this feature. I think 73's got the best stuff in the way of frillies when they were refirbed. Things like proper emergency ladders, middle wiper etc.

[Tomcakes]

The Paris Metro door chimes are certainly distinctive and definitely have a "Get out of the way" note to them rather than a "Would you mind, if it's not too much bother, just the doors are going to be closing in a bit...."

[bwhughes]

Yep! Because it's not loads of quick beeps, it doesn't give passengers any hint of a countdown ;D like British door chimes do!



Whilst I love the door chimes in Paris as it is a better sound (in my opinion) than the door chimes we have in the UK, one long note can give a kind of uncertainty as to exactly when the door will close, so passengers probably decide not to take the risk of making a move when the doors could move at any moment! ;D

So I have not seen anyone getting themselves trapped in the doors in Paris in either of the two holidays I have been there!


Perhaps it's also due to the doors on the older trains

being very thin, sharp, and viciously fast when closing!

[bwhughes]

Just to add, the picture above I posted is available with my permission (it's a camcorder frame from last year I took) for use on the main web site (i.e. on the Other Metro Systems section)

[bwhughes]

one long note can give a kind of uncertainty as to exactly when the door will close, so passengers probably decide not to take the risk of making a move when the doors could move at any moment!


On the Berlin U-Bahn, BVG have the same note of door chime as the RATP in Paris, but it is six, merely six beeps of half a second - a perfect countdown - when the doors close. This encourages people during the early stage of the countdown to attempt to get in at the last second.

I was on the U-Bahn last February and someone got himself trapped between the plug doors I was standing closest to at Stadtmitte on the U6. He obviously saw the time window in which to get in and thought he could do so, but could not.

Hopefully the door chimes on the S and 09TS will not encourage passengers to try to get on at the last second as Berlin's do!