Safety Announcements

We need something like this:
http://wmata.com/about/met_news/PressRe ... easeID=656

For immediate release:
January 14, 2005
Metro updates prerecorded station announcements

Metro staff have recorded a handful of new station announcements that customers can expect to hear as they travel through the Metrorail system. The messages began to be used during the past few days.

The announcements, some of which use light-hearted humor and others that are straightforward, include messages and helpful tips about train doors, safety, no consuming of food, no littering or smoking, how best to board a crowded train, and courtesy toward seniors and customers with disabilities.

The updated recordings were made by a Metro employee who has had previous experience in the broadcast field and has what the broadcast field refers to as "a radio voice."

Examples of some of the announcements are listed below.

# Message about no running: Ladies and gentlemen, Metro trains operate over 1,500 trips per day transporting customers like you. So, please take your time and don't run to catch the train. Remember when one train passes, another will follow.

# Message about no eating: Ladies and gentlemen, are you running late? Hungry? Didn't have time to eat? Use Metrorail to take you to your place to eat rather than be your place to eat. Please help us keep the system clean. It's the law for a good reason.

# Message about how to board a crowded train: Ladies and gentlemen, help wanted! Metro is looking for a few good people to move to the center of the rail cars. So do your part and help us fill these vacancies.

# Message to be courteous to seniors and customers with disabilities: Ladies and gentlemen, please allow senior citizens and persons with disabilities priority use of elevators and priority use of seating designated for their use.

# Message about safety: Ladies and gentlemen, we care about your safety, please stand back from the platform edge, stand clear of train doors and allow customers to exit before attempting to board.

# Message directed to children: Children, please don't run, play or sit on the escalators, station mezzanines or platforms. While using escalators, please hold your parent's hand.
# Message about train doors: Ladies and gentlemen, unlike elevator doors, train doors do not retract when they strike an object, so remember the sound of the door chimes indicates that the doors are closing.

# Message about trash: Ladies and gentlemen, in a town like this, you never want to leave a paper trail, so remember to take your newspaper with you. Please help keep our stations and trains clean.

I agree. A bit of humor can often do the trick as well, making more people actually listen to the announcements. You should suggest the idea to BART!

transitteen wrote:I agree. A bit of humor can often do the trick as well, making more people actually listen to the announcements. You should suggest the idea to BART!

Do they ever listen?

[quote="Palal12
Do they ever listen? [/quote]

Sometimes - I once made the standard announcement about keeping feet off the seats, and one dude called me on the intercom, and said:

"You are not my mother!"

It was Saturday Night. For the most part, commuters don't listen (and don't need them). Tourists and weekenders like them, and appreciate extras, like how to get home when BART is closed, and how to transfer to Muni, Caltrain, the Green Tortoise, etc.

Some TO's make the announcements quite humorous. One refers to the "Luxurious Lobby" when transferring at MacArthur.

One challenge is that the trains are noisy in the tunnels, so any announcement is unintelligible there. A "silent radio" style display would be handy to have.

Another challenge is making sure the PA system works. During a train inspection, many link the PA to the radio, so you can listen to the chatter on mainline (or, hopefully, the lack of chatter, and problems). Often, you can hear the adjacent car, and know the car you are in isn't working. Of course, it is possible to walk the entire length of a train (700 feet) and in that three minutes, never have a single transmission on the mainline radio.

What would be nice is a "silent car" - one where "routine" announcements are silent, but emergency stuff can get thru.

A quiet car would be tough on BART. I know on the Capitols we have the quiet car which people often flock too after a hard days work but it's more contained with less station stops and crowding. On BART I can't see a quite car ever working without a lot of planning and modifications first. Anyways... announcements in stations would be nice, but I like the number of announcements there are now. Once you get to a certain point where there are too many... people just block them out. Moderation is the key!

Sometimes - I once made the standard announcement about keeping feet off the seats, and one dude called me on the intercom, and said:

"You are not my mother!"

That's because the announcements are not a standard like they are in DC and LA.

Some TO's make the announcements quite humorous. One refers to the "Luxurious Lobby" when transferring at MacArthur.

Yeah I've heard that one. On the other hand more announcements are better than no announcements.

One challenge is that the trains are noisy in the tunnels, so any announcement is unintelligible there. A "silent radio" style display would be handy to have.

Like Portland, DC, MUNI buses,etc. Yeah they are definately needed.

I'll use one example of good subway nnouncements: in the 1950s, both of the metros (Moscow and St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union started making station announcements "to help the blind" (I don't really think that was the reason, but whatever.) The announcements were recorded by the national radio hosts. Their voices were great! The announcements were clear, crisp, etc. And, they were pretty lively, showing some emotion.

The announcements were of this form:

"___ Station. .... Caution, doors closing. Next stop ____ Station."

There was some variation among the different lines and different metros of the country. But the consistency from one metro to another made it very easy to find what you were looking for in a strange city.

BTW. During the 1980 Olympics, the announcements were also recorded in English.

Last year, a few well-known comedians recorded announcements for the subway. Unfortunately, I haven't heard them myself, but from what others told me, they were great!

Closer to home, I really like Chicago-style announcements (http://www.chicago-l.org/multimedia/sounds/index.html). They are clear, precise and to the point. I also like the voice.

Another challenge is making sure the PA system works. During a train inspection, many link the PA to the radio, so you can listen to the chatter on mainline (or, hopefully, the lack of chatter, and problems). Often, you can hear the adjacent car, and know the car you are in isn't working. Of course, it is possible to walk the entire length of a train (700 feet) and in that three minutes, never have a single transmission on the mainline radio.

Yeah. I remember reading a story of how a train expressed from MacArthur to Embarcadero due to an earlier delay, and some didn't hear the announcements........

BTW. Our TOs are much better compared to those elsewhere at announcing clearly. Maybe it's because they're paid more

What would be nice is a "silent car" - one where "routine" announcements are silent, but emergency stuff can get thru.

Nah... you don't need it. Once you're on a train, you start ignoring announcements. I rarely pay attention to "The doors are closing....stand clear of the doors."

One way to draw attention to important announcements is to play a chime or a series of beeps (like in Chicago). This way people can block out normal announcements if they want to.

transitteen wrote:A quiet car would be tough on BART. I know on the Capitols we have the quiet car which people often flock too after a hard days work but it's more contained with less station stops and crowding. On BART I can't see a quite car ever working without a lot of planning and modifications first. Anyways... announcements in stations would be nice, but I like the number of announcements there are now. Once you get to a certain point where there are too many... people just block them out. Moderation is the key!

All three of the voices @ CC is horrible. They need to have Al Hart of KCBS record the announcements. He has a very nice voice.

I think most of the announcements are good. Although you can't hear them very well in the subway sections or on some of the curves. The "doors are closing, please stand clear of the doors" announcement is a joke. This is usually played after the doors have already started to close and by the time its finished the train is moving. A few TO's provide useful information but most just seem to take the company line and give the minimum info. Then there's the annoying female who likes to thank you over and over again for taking "Bay Area Rapid Transit." I think she just loves to hear herself talk. It's funny, sometimes she has to take a breath to finish her looooooooong announcement. Otherwise, great job!

Today, a TO on the Pittsburg/BayPoint line made one of his usual announcements at 19th st. in English, Spanish, and, I believe, Cantonese (it could be mandarin, I don't know Chinese that well). The guy himself was white, and I bet the crowd at whom the announcement was directed didn't understand a word he was saying . But its not the first time I've heard him do that.

Ah... I have heard him before... I know in the afternoons now on the last Concord train... the TO is always energetic... Hey, welcome aboard, this train is heading all the way to Concord... and making announcements at Embarcadero about how seating by the doorways should be made available to seniors and those who need them... Even after our train had a mechanical problem (doors are obstucted message started playing over and over again while we were in motion... train came to an abrupt halt)... he was still energetic making a few jokes to lighten the mood. I tend to know my TO's now by their voices and announcements. I like that better than standardized announcements and computer voices... although some TO's are far better than others...

transitteen wrote:I tend to know my TO's now by their voices and announcements.

Same Here.

I like that better than standardized announcements and computer voices... although some TO's are far better than others...

I disagree. Good standardized announcements are better, because they're standardized.

I guess what I mean is that I just like having the announcement done by a person so you know that someone is actually there running the train looking out for you. I think they should stay standardized things though... just adding the personal touch is nice. [/quote]

KANDYMAN wrote:... The "doors are closing, please stand clear of the doors" announcement is a joke. This is usually played after the doors have already started to close and by the time its finished the train is moving.

When the "release" comes from central. that announcement starts. It's only in the A-cars, not in the C cars. TO's are "supposed" to wait five seconds before pushing the Door Close button, so that the announcement completes. However, some of the schedules are so tight that the doors get closed right away, particularly at less-busy stations, and during commute times. One of the early Millbrae to Richmond trains has to wait for about 90 seconds for a Caltrain, then zip thru the city, so it can get in between a Fremont train and a Concord train. It has to get out of Embarcadero quickly (and free up the interlocking) , so the Concord train can cross over at Montgomery. So, announcements are cut short when doors are closed quickly. Then it can loaf all the way to Richmond.

KANDYMAN wrote:... Then there's the annoying female who likes to thank you over and over again for taking "Bay Area Rapid Transit." I think she just loves to hear herself talk. It's funny, sometimes she has to take a breath to finish her looooooooong announcement. Otherwise, great job!

She has actually gotten a few dozen offers to do commercial voice-overs.

Palal12 wrote: I disagree. Good standardized announcements are better, because they're standardized.

Standard announcements are good, but, getting them updated is a challenge.

One problem is the Daly City trains announce that Balboa Park is the transfer for SFO. So, people get off, and see the little airplane on the sign, that points up, so they go upstairs, and look around for the airport train! Fortunately, there's a half mile of open track (no tunnel) so the TO can tell the passengers to stay downstairs for an SFO train.

Also, in the rain (and cold), Embarcadero is a better place to transfer to Dublin or Fremont, than West Oakland. Though few TO's make that announcement.

Commuters are smart, and don't need announcements. There are lots of tourists from SFO, at all hours of the day, but few go beyond Embarcadero. So, the minimal announcements in SFO seem to suffice.

Nights, weekends and holidays bring out inexperienced passengers, so "Tokyo style" announcements are appreciated: "This station is Embarcadero, the next station is Montgomery."

KANDYMAN wrote:... Then there's the annoying female who likes to thank you over and over again for taking "Bay Area Rapid Transit." I think she just loves to hear herself talk. It's funny, sometimes she has to take a breath to finish her looooooooong announcement. Otherwise, great job!

She has actually gotten a few dozen offers to do commercial voice-overs.[/quote]

I don't know the person you're talking about. What runs does she have?