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Trains told to get rid of torrent of 'Tannoy spam'

If you're a commuter returning to the office after a long period of working from home, you may soon notice a subtle difference on your morning train.

In the next few months, rail chiefs will be getting rid of unnecessary announcements to make journeys quieter.
Examples of so-called "Tannoy spam" include telling passengers to have their tickets ready and, ironically, to keep the noise down.

But the Department for Transport (DfT) said key safety messages would remain.

For public transport in general there needs to be a system that adjusts the volume to the ambient noise; louder when there is more background noise (prime example is losing the announcement as the North Downs line climbs out of Guildford towards North Camp), and quieter when there is less engine noise, points etc. Applies just as much to stations and buses.

I think the station announcements are worse,like at Bristol Parkway and BTM,

one side of the station is saying something and then the near side of the station starts saying something different.

Swindon platform 4.  A motion-activated announcement about being careful on the stairs

(Off-topic: energy saving office workspace lighting that goes out every two minutes unless the occupant raises their arms above their head...)

They have these in the public toilets at Slough Queensmere shopping centre. When the lights went off whilst in a cubicle, the sensors couldn't detect me. Perhaps in the wrong place or faulty.

Yesterday I found out it would cost £130 to get from Birmingham to Newcastle by train.

I can get a flight for £25.

There are far bigger issues with the UK's railways than tannoy announcements.

Of all the things that need addressing with rail in the UK I am going to put this one at 742 on the list of priorities.

Fair point from the shadow transport secretary - far more important is the cost of short-journey rail fares now.

For me to park at my local station and take an 18-mile day return journey into London now costs over £30. That's £150 per week for a 25 min journey each way.

As I am also allowed to work from home, guess what I will be doing?

Given Leeds - Manchester electrification has been ‘announced’ in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2021 but not expected until the early 2030s I know how frustrating banal railway announcements can be ...'

Trains told to get rid of torrent of 'Tannoy spam

While I hesitate to suggest more software in trains ... if you can do that you can also measure not just the sound output level but whether there is any. If the system arrives for maintenance with a list of exactly which bits need checking or replacement, having caught intermittent faults as well as permanent ones, it's much more feasible to get it fixed.

Have we moved to Sodor?

On the mainland, I don't think our trains have voice recognition.

Robot vacuum cleaner escapes from Cambridge Travelodge

A robot vacuum cleaner made a break for freedom after giving staff the slip at a Travelodge hotel.

The automated cleaner failed to stop at the front door of the hotel in Orchard Park in Cambridge on Thursday, and was still on the loose the following day.

Staff said it just kept going and "could be anywhere" while well-wishers on social media hoped the vacuum enjoyed its travels, as "it has no natural predators" in the wild.

[snip]

However, much to everyone's relief, the device was found nestled under a hedge on Friday afternoon by a (human) hotel cleaner sprucing up the front drive.

It was dusted off and "is now back sitting happily on a shelf with the rest of its robot vacuum family", the hotel confirmed.

They have these in the public toilets at Slough Queensmere shopping centre. When the lights went off whilst in a cubicle, the sensors couldn't detect me. Perhaps in the wrong place or faulty.

Perhaps your motions were insufficient.  :D

The sceptic in me says this publicity hyped initiative on a purge on train announcements was part of the Government attempt to deflect the media away for the PM's 'problems' 

BusandTrainUser (Roger French) posted about platform annoucements today -
https://busandtrainuser.com/2022/08/20/useless-platform-announcements/

Southern and Thameslink seem to be going through a bad patch lately with cancellations and delays for a whole variety of announced reasons including “due to more than the usual number of trains needing repair at the moment”; “due to a shortage of train crew”; “due to a problem under investigation” (my favourite); “due to signalling problems in the South Croydon area” and many more....................continues....

Whilst this is not in our area, I found it interesting.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks of Reggie Perrin every single time one of these announcements is made