Train station announcers

[steevo]

Have you noticed that most of the train station announcers are now recordings ? I think that the PTB are ensuring that the microphones are strictly controlled (for obvious reasons :cool:). The same is happening on trains themselves.
It reminds me of that incident where those truthers went into Walmart and annouced that 911 was an inside job. Good on 'em! :)

Walmart Intercom: 9/11 Truth

Some areas of the country are also talking about criminalising the "boom boom" loud music (that we all hate :rolleyes:) emmitting from cars. Maybe there's a new song with the lyrics, boom boom "9/11 and 7/7 was an inside job", and the PTB dont want us playing it too loud in our cars (do you get what I mean ;););))

[tom bombadil]

Have you noticed that most of the train station announcers are now recordings ? I think that the PTB are ensuring that the microphones are strictly controlled (for obvious reasons :cool:). The same is happening on trains themselves.
It reminds me of that incident where those truthers went into Walmart and annouced that 911 was an inside job. Good on 'em! :)

Walmart Intercom: 9/11 Truth (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I4yKEK9o8gA)

Some areas of the country are also talking about criminalising the "boom boom" loud music (that we all hate :rolleyes:) emmitting from cars. Maybe there's a new song with the lyrics, boom boom "9/11 and 7/7 was an inside job", and the PTB dont want us playing it too loud in our cars (do you get what I mean ;););))

I cant understand the idiots in their cars with the music ramped up too loud to a point where the car 'buzzes :rolleyes:'. It has to to be the hight of a 'look a me culture' thing. " I am soooo loud, my car falls to bits".

Of course there will always be differences in a world full of individuals, so I can sort of forgive it all. But when it then comes to the twats getting into their cars and driving down the road with that same shit-loud stuff on, well that is wrong big time. Talk about distractions. What makes anyone, lest it be a deaf man, think that they can cope with a beat that is designed, by a loudness default, to raise your emotions?

Not right, and the sooner it becomes a frowned upon event, like bogey flicking, then all the better. Wankers.




Right, rant over steevo :D And on to those anouncers.

Its all down to budget.

If there are less staff on the stations (as there are, or rather not as the case may be) then the less cash in training and employment there has to be.
The same is true of the 'train men'. I know that they are being dumbed down big time. This dumbing down is to have a stranglhold on them when it comes to control. They are at present being slowly denyied the training that was full and exact only yesterday. By holding back things like 'making an anouncment for your-self', they are saying to the driver that 'we dont trust you', 'we think you cant cope', we can be better than you', 'we wont need you'.

You and I only see the bits that connect with the public, like less staff, or anouncments. The more dangerous side is that they are also holding back safty issues too.

I do speak of things I know, so trust this next statement.
If you were in London a few years back, you might remember that the underground (tube line/subway to you my American chums) suffered a signal problem. The public was told that the signals were playing up and the trains needed to be double manned for the time being. As the signals were approched, they were basicly being double checked. Bull.

What realy hapens is this...in simple terms.....
When a signal is red, a little metal plate sticks up beyond the level of the rails. When the signal is green, it goes down.
A train has a stick hanging down, in front of the train. It is always down. If the signal is green then the train passes the signal and away it goes. If it is red the driver stops untill its green again, With me so far?:p.
If the driver or the train do not stop at a red, then it needs to as it is probably red cos of another train just ahead. The stick hits the plate, the plate stays up but the stick shoots back and releases all the air from the brakes (no air means the pads make contact. The air keeps the pads clear). The train stops.

It stops cos of a possable obstruction ahead. It needs to stop. The device is fail-safe and has been with us for over a hundred years. It works. It is mechanical so its good.

Fellow travelers. At that time, the system had a stick that had a chance of flicking back to hanging down position without driver knowage. "Train ahead...Whhoooo Whhoooo!"

Down to a lack of understanding of the system, the drivers did what they were told to do. And that was to drive around without a failsafe train brake.

Well no. Cos they did know, and told the management to shove it. Within two days a plan was formulated, and by the end of the week, all the stock had been sorted.

Now think what would or could happen if they did not know the in's and out's of the trains. I have noticed that since then (though possibly not because of then) that the training has steadly got smaller.

Why? Cos it cost a mint to fix that particular problem, and all in one go. If the oiks knew nothing of it then the bosses can save a few quid, latter blaming he carnage on the drivers.

Just one instance. Others are... the train that rolled backwards before stopping just before Camden Town (Euopes most busy station fellow Yanks) Driver sacked, down to medical problem. What realy happened was that the system could not cope with a train going the other way!!!
Another, also at Camden Town was the train that went the wrong way down the track. Lack of training that one, but blamed on the driver again.

There are others.

So when one is next traveling on the busses and tube, spare a thought for your fellow man. Honestly it aint their fault. (mostly :D)



Tom.

[americana]

Good observation, Steevo.

Equally applicable to the US as to the UK!

Also, it's often very difficult to make out what is being said over the intercom, esp. when you're riding the subways here in NYC! An unintelligible buzz and growl. God forbid it should be something important.

Like everything else, there is a movement away from the human touch to complete and utter depersonalization. And, as Tom noted, all in the name of cost-cutting.

I've also noted all the "new" hires on the trains here. So many in the past few months. That's interesting, and I hadn't thought about it before I read this thread. I recall when one well-known conductor retired last year. I didn't usually catch his train going from NYC to CT on weekends, but I guess he was known for playing certain music on his train, his route had a "name", and knew all the regular riders, had a great personality, joked with and talked to people, etc. That makes a huge difference when you're facing a long commute! I am sure that he was "encouraged" to retire.

There is another thread here about fencing around schools, where one person who posted noted about how teachers are being moved around from school to school, so they never get to "know" each other and the kids. Older teachers are being forced out and/or not being given a chance to mentor or get involved with their younger peers. The same may be true for train conductors. It would be interesting to know if they are being shunted around from line to line, never to get to know the passengers, or, even know their jobs.

I was recently on a train which broke down, and it was very obvious to me and everyone else that the conductors did not have a plan for what to do! This was very aggravating. Purposeful?? In any case, they certainly had not been prepared for such an eventuality in their training! Super.

Our train system here has a little bulletin they print every once in a while and put on the train seats. I doubt most people bother to read it, but I think it's a good idea to see what's up. The most recent one was actually rather well done, even clever in part! One little section was on train safety and using the emergency exits. I thought hmmm . . . why now? But if you can't count on the conductor to even KNOW what to do, I guess you had better be prepared yourself!!!

[psych641]

Walmart Intercom: 9/11 Truth (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I4yKEK9o8gA)

that was hilarious, thanks :D

[stealth]

That was funny:D..might have to try that next time i'm in sainsbury's.:eek::D

[helpus]

It's all done by computer now, i went into the HQ at Kings Cross and all the announcements in all the stations that kings cross services were controlled by one bloke on one pc.

[tyler]

I'll tell you what is really annoying me these days.....

Londoners who travel on the tube system are being bombarded with announcements every minute or so. Pointless, stupid crap like....There is a good system operating on the tube today...Duh! So what? Or...Please remember to take your luggage and personal effects with you, report any suspicious bags to a member of staff etc, etc.

Has any other Londoner noticed this? They just will not shut the fuck up!

Is this more conditioning to get us used to loudspeakers on every corner a la 1984 constantly telling us what to do?

[homebrew1973]

I'll tell you what is really annoying me these days.....

Londoners who travel on the tube system are being bombarded with announcements every minute or so. Pointless, stupid crap like....There is a good system operating on the tube today...Duh! So what? Or...Please remember to take your luggage and personal effects with you, report any suspicious bags to a member of staff etc, etc.

Has any other Londoner noticed this? They just will not shut the fuck up!

Is this more conditioning to get us used to loudspeakers on every corner a la 1984 constantly telling us what to do?
Perhaps that`s the idea. Up here in Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations there`s that female voice with those 1984 "for your safety and comfort" messages all the time, even if you`re sat on a toilet having a crap! Mantra mantra mantra I say it is to drill it into your subconscious, one of these days I`m going to start taking ear defenders with me when I use trains, mind you politicians are pricing rail travel out of people`s pockets more and more :mad:

And another thing, have any of you seen that recent The Trainline ticket TV advert? How very apt for them to have the passengers depicted as sheep, because that`s precisely what most of them actually are...

[sickleblade]

yea theres always that 'please remain vigilante at all times'

LOL

oh please

[psych641]

There was an old episode of Mark Thomas, where he boards a train and locks himself in the toilet, with full control over the trains speakers & starts broadcasting all the train operators dodgy dealings to a load of bemused commuters :D

[joyful]

I think that the PTB are ensuring that the microphones are strictly controlled (for obvious reasons :cool:).

Do you imagine if there was a fire the announcer would find the fire tape or just switch the microphone on? What about the "Could the owner of the blue ford sierra move his car please" tape?

[tom bombadil]

Trust me joyful, the announcer will be the first out of the door.:D

[tracker]

Have you noticed that most of the train station announcers are now recordings ? I think that the PTB are ensuring that the microphones are strictly controlled (for obvious reasons :cool:). The same is happening on trains themselves.
It reminds me of that incident where those truthers went into Walmart and annouced that 911 was an inside job. Good on 'em! :)

Walmart Intercom: 9/11 Truth (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I4yKEK9o8gA)

Some areas of the country are also talking about criminalising the "boom boom" loud music (that we all hate :rolleyes:) emmitting from cars. Maybe there's a new song with the lyrics, boom boom "9/11 and 7/7 was an inside job", and the PTB dont want us playing it too loud in our cars (do you get what I mean ;););))


:D