Jack_S I haven't ridden the Red Line in 19 months. Have they upgraded that much?Jack
I haven't ridden the Red Line in 19 months. Have they upgraded that much?
Jack
Yes, but they started the recorded station calls about two years ago, albeit only very few railcars had the system installed at the time. Almost all of them do now.
19 months?! You're in for a shock! They have TURNSTILES now! They're not fully operational though (i.e. they're not locked since they require the TAP smartcard to work and paper tickets are still being used.)
Jack_SIn LA the subway stops are announced by a live person on the train. About 2/3 of the time they are incomprehensible to me. I use hearing aids so maybe it's not their fault.
In LA the subway stops are announced by a live person on the train. About 2/3 of the time they are incomprehensible to me. I use hearing aids so maybe it's not their fault.
Actually more of the Red Line subway trans have the automated station calls these days. The last time I rode the subway, a week ago, I heard the automatic calls.
The fact that they're incomprehensible isn't your fault or the operators, it's poor PA system design. Ansaldobreda, the Italian manufacturer of the railcars, decided to use cheap-quality upper midrange speakers on the Metro Red Line railcars. On top of that, most of the noise you hear during your subway ride (tunnel noise, rider conversations, etc) is also in the upper midrange of the frequency spectrum. Therefore, it's hard for you (or most people) to hear since the ambient noise is drowning out what's being said..
The light rail cars on the Blue, Green and Gold lines have better speakers and you can hear them clearly.
In LA the subway stops are announced by a live person on the train. About 2/3 of the time they are incomprehensible to me. I use hearing aids so maybe it's not their fault. But, on a bus run by the same administration, they use a GPS triggered recorded voice to announce the coming stop AND the one after. I have no trouble understanding them.
LA Metrolink is a mixed bag. Announcing is done by the conductor, who has a lot to do on a typical run. Some are comics, some compete for the fast talking prize, some actually try to be understandable.
I don't need to tell you I look for the station sign on each station we pull into on Metrolink and the subway.
I have no preference for either. The automated voice on NJT (it's believed to be the late Hella Young) has a nice tone, but the rear brake can be comical at times.
But here, its wierd. The older stuff (Comet IIIs) don't have the capability, so if there's even one in a consist, it won't trainline, so the entire train has to be announced manually. But the Multilevels (which are the newest) either don't have the auto announcements, or they were'nt working last week when I rode one...
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
matthewsaggie Bill Cosby, in one of his earliest albums (early-1960's) had a 2 or 3 minute routine on calling station stops. Very funny- and he could really do an imitation. Now I will have to dig out those albums (some of you young folks even know what those are? Big black disks?) and see if I can locate it.
Bill Cosby, in one of his earliest albums (early-1960's) had a 2 or 3 minute routine on calling station stops. Very funny- and he could really do an imitation. Now I will have to dig out those albums (some of you young folks even know what those are? Big black disks?) and see if I can locate it.
I have that album and I know right where it is. I believe the bus was going to "Habersack & Rebersoben". The routine was "A nut in every car".
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
VRE is using Microsoft Mary at their stations but it's only for service disruptions--they never announce trains. I think they ought to invest in the Cepstral or Acapela voices. They are stunningly life-like.
Does anyone know how the Amtrak "Train Approaching -- Please Remain Behind the Yellow Line" announcement is produced? It sounds like a real person to me.
It's a relatively new thing here in America, but they've been doing it in Europe and overseas for a long time. In a way, I kinda enjoy the automated announcements, ironically it gives the system a "personality" and is far more memorable since the voice is consistent. I can easily mentally recall the sound of the stern Englishman saying "Mind The Gap" in the London Underground or the proper Australian lady's voice calling out the stops on the Sydney CityRail system.
The train motorman/operator calling out their own stops has a nostalgic quality to it, but let's face it, not very many transit operators have a "broadcast quality" voice. When I was riding the subway every day in my last job, I'd have the same motorman on the train every day and his careless monotone drove me nuts, I felt like smacking the guy.
PolishPower2I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.
Metra has the automated voice also, as do most trains in Europe and the UK. I remember riding the CTA daily back in the late 70's. Almost impossible to understand what they were saying.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
PolishPower2 I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.
I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.
If there's a live person announcing station stops that person is drawing a bi-weekly or monthly paycheck - at union rates.
If there's a recording that's keyed by touching a button, the company paid for it once. The person touching the button might be a throat cancer survivor who CAN'T speak clearly, or someone with a heavy accent. It's certain that the person in question is actually there to do something else, like drive the bus or collect fares on the train.
I remember, back when Ma Bell was a monopoly, all of those, "Out of service," and, "The number you are calling..." announcements were recorded by one woman with clear diction and an annoying nasal overtone. No matter where you were in the United States, you always got the same voice.
And then there's the old story about the train arriving at a town called Euralia. At one end of the coach, the brakeman announced, "You're-a-liar." At the other, the conductor sounded off with, "You really are." (I've often wondered what the correct pronunciation was...)
Chuck
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.