Misleading automated announcements

[whole diary]

[PhilWakely]

I travelled from Dawlish Warren back to Polsloe Bridge (via a 40 minute wait at Newcourt thanks to forgetting the lack of POL stops on a Saturday  ) mid-morning. The service was full a standing, but I was extremely surprised to hear two automated announcements whilst approaching Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central.

Whilst approaching St Davids, we heard the usual 'we are now approaching Exeter St Davids, change here for...' .Expecting to hear 'services to London Paddington and the North, the announcement ignored those and just said 'change here for Exmouth and Barnstaple'.
There were some very confused passengers on this through train to Exmouth!

Similarly, on approach to Exeter Central, we heard 'change here for Lympstone and Exmouth'! Some even more confused passengers!

On alighting at Newcourt, the TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) was heard to mutter  .... 'utter chaos today!'

[TonyN]

While Travelling from Pershore to Worcester and back today.

On arrival at Pershore to catch the 10:45 Great Malvern service I encountered a family group using the help point to talk to National rail enquires.

NRE^▸ (National Rail Enquiries) where not able to resolve the problem they had. On talking to them I found that they where travelling to somewhere north of Birmingham and had been told to catch the 10:45 and change at Worcestershire parkway. However the automatic announcement was telling them that the train did not call at Worcestershire parkway. It only called at WOP, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern link and Great Malvern.

Worcestershire Parkway has only been open just over 3 years.

On my return this afternoon I went to Foregate street to catch the 16:44 Paddington service.

As the train arrived the automatic announcement informed me that the train was for London Paddington, Change at Norwich for Lowestoft.

[ChrisB]

The ‘Wocestershire Parkway’ verbal is there, but it’s so much quiter than the remainjng starions that they may have only heard a silence while it played…same on the trains too. Until the station set is re-recorded, its a jnown problem. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) won’t approve the re/recording costs.

However, the delays caused by the broken set of points in the Thanes Valley would have meant that they would have missed the northbound connection at WOP anyway, with only 2-hourly services by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)), they’d have had a long wait.

As did a load of Chelenham race-goers an hour earlier, missing their southbound connection & therefore had a long wait & missed the startcof Gold Cup day

[IndustryInsider]

The ‘Wocestershire Parkway’ verbal is there, but it’s so much quiter than the remainjng starions that they may have only heard a silence while it played…same on the trains too. Until the station set is re-recorded, its a jnown problem. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) won’t approve the re/recording costs.

However, the delays caused by the broken set of points in the Thanes Valley would have meant that they would have missed the northbound connection at WOP anyway, with only 2-hourly services by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)), they’d have had a long wait.

As did a load of Chelenham race-goers an hour earlier, missing their southbound connection & therefore had a long wait & missed the startcof Gold Cup day

Perhaps they could just combine the audio for the  already recorded 'Worcester' and 'Parkway' together to make 'Worcester Parkway'.  That's what most people, and a fair few staff, call it anyway! 

[grahame]

The ‘Wocestershire Parkway’ verbal is there, but it’s so much quiter than the remainjng starions that they may have only heard a silence while it played…same on the trains too. Until the station set is re-recorded, its a jnown problem. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) won’t approve the re/recording costs.

However, the delays caused by the broken set of points in the Thanes Valley would have meant that they would have missed the northbound connection at WOP anyway, with only 2-hourly services by XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)), they’d have had a long wait.

As did a load of Chelenham race-goers an hour earlier, missing their southbound connection & therefore had a long wait & missed the startcof Gold Cup day

Perhaps they could just combine the audio for the  already recorded 'Worcester' and 'Parkway' together to make 'Worcester Parkway'.  That's what most people, and a fair few staff, call it anyway! 

Perhaps add in the "Shire" from "Shirehampton"?

[infoman]

All announcements are in alphabetical order,on approch to Swindon from London and train not going to Cheltenham.

Change here for Cheltenham Gloucester Kemble Stonehouse and Stroud.

Don't even mention the trains from London to Reading,saying change here for rail air bus link to Heathrow airport

[grahame]

Don't even mention the trains from London to Reading,saying change here for rail air bus link to Heathrow airport

Perfectly reasonable to help people who intended to catch Heathrow Express but got on the wrong train!