Dot Matrix / Another Sonia

[Deleted]

Does the Jubbly use a dot matrix display, as opposed to automated announcements (like the Northern / Central) ??

[Deleted]

Both dot matrix displays (as on the Picc) and automated announcements are used, unless they've changed things since I went on there last.

I can hear it in my head now:

"This station is Canning Town. Change here for Docklands Light Railway, including services to the ExCel Exhibition Centre, National Rail Services, and City Airport Bus Link"

I'm starting to scare myself.......

[Deleted]

"This station is... Canning Town.

Change here for National Rail services, Docklands Light Railway, including the ExCeL Exhibition Centre and City Airport Bus Link."

[nose_in_air]
"THIS train terminates... at... Stratford!"
[/nose_in_air]

[/creepy]

[Deleted]

LOL - i can hear them too now........ oh dear - look what you've started off !

Thanks for your replies

[Deleted]

Almost right, but that's after a year away from the Jub!

[greatplum]

It's the way the announcer says 'Willesden Green' that always crakcs me up...

[tom2506]

Neeeasden, that's the one that made me chuckle!

[Deleted]

Wembleeey Park's good too! She has a thing about e's

[Deleted]

'This train terminates at West Ham....pstead'

[tom2506]

sturdjos said:

'This train terminates at West Ham....pstead'

First time I heard the one I thought she was just saying West Ham then the psted was said

[Deleted]

"This station is Canning Town. Change here for Docklands Light Railway, including services to the ExCel Exhibition Centre, National Rail Services, and City Airport Bus Link"

Hmm, well now the DLR serves the Airport I think the Bus Link has been cut.

[Deleted]

seniorplanner said:

"This station is Canning Town. Change here for Docklands Light Railway, including services to the ExCel Exhibition Centre, National Rail Services, and City Airport Bus Link"

Hmm, well now the DLR serves the Airport I think the Bus Link has been cut.

I think we should have a betting pool on how long it takes for the announcement to be changed!

[q8]

While I now accept that these on train announcments are useful for strangers and tourists I think that the thing is rather OTT. Why the same thing twice? Berlin has the right method. Just after you leave a station there is a 'bong' and the woman comes on telling you the next giving any interchanges and connections and also which side the doors will open in the direction of travel. There is no call actually at the station itself.

[Deleted]

I have noticed with the refurbs, and their constant announcements you get fewer sleepers late at night. For that alone, they are great

[Deleted]

q8 said:

While I now accept that these on train announcments are useful for strangers and tourists I think that the thing is rather OTT. Why the same thing twice? Berlin has the right method. Just after you leave a station there is a 'bong' and the woman comes on telling you the next giving any interchanges and connections and also which side the doors will open in the direction of travel. There is no call actually at the station itself.

In principal I agree. At some stations (no examples off of the top of my head) by the time she's finished her little speech, the train's begun moving off!

However, on some lines things would need tweaking. On the Victoria, the announcements in between stations are hardly audible over the usual tunnel sounds, although this may be remedied with the new stock?

[Tomcakes]

What criterion are used in selecting "alight here for" places? I've heard things like "Alight here for the Royal Institute of the Blind" - is that *really* the main focus of a station?

[oliver]

It does seem abit odd - RNIB (Euston I think) on its own and the answer would be obvious but why is 'alight for madame tussauds (think thats how its spelt) and the planitarium' at baker street on there but not 'alight for xyz at embankment

[Deleted]

Does it say 'Alight for the Tower of London' at Tower Hill??

[Deleted]

Blind people benefit most from Sonia because they um can't see.

That's why Moorfields Eye Hospital on the system at Old Street and RNIB at Great Portland Street..

[citysig]

Getting closer. The message for the RNIB is for King's Cross station on the Circle Line. Great Portland Street used to boast "Alight here for Regents Park" but that seemed to disappear when they renewed the PA system.

The selection of "alight heres" relates to the most popular or closest venues for each station. Not every single one can be included for obvious reasons. Many are traditional places that have been announced for years.

The interchanges are also given fully, and when you think about it, if a station has simply too many things to tell the passengers about, there may not be enough dwell time to list them all.

[q8]

citysig said:

The interchanges are also given fully, and when you think about it, if a station has simply too many things to tell the passengers about, there may not be enough dwell time to list them all.

That why they should adopt the German system and have the announcements start just after you have left a station. This gives time for all the relevant info to be relayed to the passenger. [they could also add which side the doors will open too.]

For instance in Berlin the woman tells you the name of the next station, any connections and places of interest and 'ausvieg links' or ausvieg recht' [way out, left. etc]

[BTW This also occurs on the buses and trams as well]

[q8]

Incidentally why is the announcement on trains always made by a woman incidentally/ Why not a man incidentally? But please not Rob Curling Incidentally.

I can think of several well-known voice-over men from TV that could do the job very well

[Deleted]

q8 said:

Incidentally why is the announcement on trains always made by a woman incidentally/ Why not a man incidentally? But please not Rob Curling Incidentally.

I can think of several well-known voice-over men from TV that could do the job very well

Well there is the convention that men listen to women's voices more than other men's. Sexist, I know, but that's all I can think of.

Also, it's possible that people feel a woman's voice is more clear than a men's voice, although they used a man for the Croydon Tramlink.

[Tomcakes]

Trouble is, a voice like Emma Clarke is all very well and good for things like "Well the next station boys and girls, if you can't read the map, is Barbican.", but to give a clear order you need a more authoritative voice.

Think about it - if you're at a station, do you listen more to the chatty friendly train announcement "Please mind the gap, between the train and the platform" or the shouting guy "MIND THE GAP". The latter gives you a direct order, with the former it's almost "If you wouldn't mind....".

I think a lot of the voices came off TV or radio - Janet Mayo and Emma Clarke were both involved in radio, and the old Circle announcer sounds like someone else on the radio.

[Deleted]

Why oh why are they phasing out the shouty man ''MIND THE GAP'' How can you phase that out and replace it by some pathetic sounding announcement, as Tom says 'Please mind the gap betwene the train and the platform'. IMO, the management are going the wrong way in phasing those announcements out. The only stations i can think of hearing the shouty man now, are Chalk Farm and one other stop on the Northern.

[Deleted]

sturdjos said:

Why oh why are they phasing out the shouty man ''MIND THE GAP'' How can you phase that out and replace it by some pathetic sounding announcement, as Tom says 'Please mind the gap betwene the train and the platform'. IMO, the management are going the wrong way in phasing those announcements out. The only stations i can think of hearing the shouty man now, are Chalk Farm and one other stop on the Northern.

Is it true the shouty man was the late Kenneth Williams?

[Tomcakes]

Apparently his name was Peter Lodge (Squarewheels).

[greatplum]

sturdjos said:

Why oh why are they phasing out the shouty man ''MIND THE GAP'' How can you phase that out and replace it by some pathetic sounding announcement, as Tom says 'Please mind the gap betwene the train and the platform'. IMO, the management are going the wrong way in phasing those announcements out. The only stations i can think of hearing the shouty man now, are Chalk Farm and one other stop on the Northern.

I heard it the other day at Victoria District line platforms...

They are probably phasing it out for all those people who can't work out which gap they are meant to be avoiding...

[Deleted]

;D

[exitstageleft]

I still hear the shouty man on the district line, and i seem to remember his voice on the circle too, unless thats all changed recently or i'm just being very forgetful!