Too much information!

[neoncircles]

Spotted this in the IT the other day.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...303945103.html

Too much information

Sir, – I travelled by train from Belfast to Dublin on the 8am Enterprise service on a recent Friday, and then onwards to Cork on the 11am InterCity. The Belfast-Dublin leg was noticeable for the welcome absence (as best I can recall) of any recorded announcements at the approach to or departure from any of the three stops en route.

Anticipating the contrast, I recorded the number of announcements between Dublin and Cork. It amounted to an eye-watering 40, consisting in the main of the same set of three announcements in Irish, followed by the English translation, at each of the six stops along the journey. Am I alone in finding this to be a form of gratuitous aural persecution?

Surely Iarnród Éireann could confine these repeated broadcasts to, say, Heuston and Limerick Junction. One final quibble: The flat, schoolboy-Irish delivery of the announcements as Gaeilge compares unfavourably with the cainteoir dúchais blas to be heard on the Luas from Connolly to Heuston. – Yours, etc,

P�DRAIG Mac C�RTHAIGH,

Bóthar na Laoi,

Corcaigh.

[Mark Gleeson]

Its a legal requirement to make the announcements and the number of announcements made won't be changing. Will be getting shorter though in some cases. Irish is mandated by the Official Languages Act and is comparable to similar arrangements in Wales and parts of Spain

How often were passengers complaining of no announcements and announcements they could not hear in the past? It was certainly in the top five of issues.

Dublin Belfast makes announcements as well but the system frequently breaks down. It does not comply with current requirements. Curiously Newry station makes the announcements in both Irish and English something Irish Rail can't even manage at its stations.

The Irish used by Irish Rail is a lot clearer compared to the somewhat over the top Luas style which is weak in translation in some areas.

[Thomas Ralph]

They could cut back on the catering announcements.

[Mark Gleeson]

The catering pa is not automatic, it is requested through the train computer in the buffet car. It has two versions, one for buffer is situated towards the front of the train and one for rear of train. Needless to say the wrong one is chosen regularly

Its the message just before "there may be a need to evacuate this train....." which has caused some fun in the past

[markpb]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

How often were passengers complaining of no announcements and announcements they could not hear in the past? It was certainly in the top five of issues.

That's not really the point and I think you know it Passengers want to know that they're on the right train and where the next stop is, not that it left Heuston at thirteen hundred hours or the cctv is present (signs should be sufficient to comply with legislation there). There should be no need to welcome people on board or thanking them for travelling at every stop - that's just daft.

[James Howard]

Or to keep feet off seats. Or not to sit in reserved seats that aren't indicated.

The announcements are overly verbose - for example why does every station need to be read out? Instead of naming all the commuter stations why not just say, this train serves all stops and then name the next stop. The welcome and thank you messages are utterly superfluous and are completely at variance with all other aspects of the service where is patently obvious that most of the staff don't really want passengers cluttering up their train set.

The visual displays are even worse. With the 22ks, there is a very convenient indicator that says how far the next station is which is quite convenient in the winter as you know when to start packing up. But there is so much rubbish scrolling across the screen that it is only up for about 5% of the time.

This is an old chestnut and it reckon it bothers commuters a lot more than infrequent users who probably need the announcements. And for anybody with a visual impairment the convenience to them vastly outweighs the inconvenience to the general public.

I wonder if there is a legal requirement as to the volume level of the announcements. They could make the English one normally and the Irish one at about 10% of the volume level where it didn't bother anyone.

[Mark Gleeson]

We did a bit of work with Irish Rail when the Mk4 fleet appeared. The this is the 13:00 to X is actually important as you know which train you are on relative to the published timetable

The Irish announcement must convey the same information as the English, anything else and trouble will start

The ICR has a intercity mode and a commuter mode announcement set, so you should never get the reserved seat pa on the local Kildare line service

The welcome and thank you messages are to be removed based on recent meetings with Irish Rail, they probably will still exist at the terminuses but beyond that the announcements will be streamlined

Bear in mind the announcements are of serious benefit to the infrequent user, tourists and so on in addition to the disabled

[Thomas Ralph]

Dia dhaoibh a dhaoine uaisle, cuireann Iarnród Éireann fáilte romhaibh ar bord. Seo Ã* an traein ó Heuston go Corcaigh, agus beidh sÃ* ag freastal ar Durlas, Gabhal Luimnigh, Mala, agus Corcaigh. Tabhair aird le bhur dtoil ar na fógraÃ* sábhailteachta agus asloinneatha. Go raibh maith agaibh as cluas a thabhairt dúinn, agus tá súil againn go mbeidh turas deas compordach agaibh.

[Thomas Ralph]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The catering pa is not automatic, it is requested through the train computer in the buffet car. It has two versions, one for buffer is situated towards the front of the train and one for rear of train. Needless to say the wrong one is chosen regularly

Four actually, because there's one with a trolley and one without.