£3.3m rail investment in passenger info systems

[jackh]

Metro, Northern Rail, Network Rail and the Department for Transport are funding better public address systems and new customer information screens at stations across Yorkshire and east Lancashire.Passengers at dozens of train stations will benefit from the £3.3m investment.

The new, integrated systems will give up-to-the-minute train running information and make sure that audible and visual information is linked and delivered at the same time.

The investment includes replacing existing analogue lines with digital links, and installing new amplifiers to improve the quality of audible information.

Hi-tech screens and public address systems
Older information screens at stations will be replaced with new hi-tech screens to provide much more reliable and visible train information. The project will also fund additional screens at a number of stations including Bradford Interchange, Bradford Forster Square, Skipton and Ilkley.

The new information screens are due to be completed by March 2009 and the PA installations completed by June 2009.

"Passengers using 43 of West Yorkshire's stations will benefit from these improvements," said Metro Chairman, Cllr Chris Greaves.

"Metro's yournextbus service has shown us that passengers value the convenience of accurate, timely information, and this project brings the same benefits to rail users."

Steve Butcher, Area Director, Northern Rail said: “One of our top priorities is to improve how we communicate with our customers. These new and improved systems will make a big difference to many thousands of customers every day.”

Warrick Dent, Area General Manager for Network Rail, added: "Good communications are essential to allow passengers to complete their journeys with the minimum fuss. As landlord for the stations we are very pleased to see this scheme coming to fruition."

Stations set to benefit from improvements to Customer Information Screens and Public Address systems:

Baildon, Ben Rhydding, Bingley, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Brighouse, Burley in Wharfedale, Crossflats, Frizinghall, Garforth, Glasshoughton, Guiseley, Halifax, Ilkley, Keighley, Menston, Saltaire, Shipley and Steeton & Silsden

Stations to receive new Public Address equipment:

Bramley, Castleford, Crossgates, East Garforth, Featherstone, Fitzwilliam, Hebden Bridge, Knottingley, Micklefield, Moorthorpe, Mytholmroyd, New Pudsey, Normanton, Outwood, Pontefract Monkhill, Pontefract Tanshelf, Sandal & Agbrigg, South Elmsall, Sowerby Bridge, Streethouse, Todmorden, Wakefield Kirkgate, Walsden and Woodlesford.

www.wymetro.com/News/081112-NewRailStationCIS.htm

[jackh]

So really stations that will see the improvement are all the Airedale/Wharfedale Line stations, Bradford Interchange, Glasshoughton and Halifax. I thought a roll out of the LED information screens could of been installed at all stations under Metro control. Wakefield Kirkgate at least as it is a major station could benefit with much better information systems in place.

[Craig]

I'd noticed this press release already and wondered why Garforth was due to receive new screens when it has recently already had the LED screens (sometime last year?).

It is indeed good that Wakefield Kirkgate is getting a new PA system, but it needs a hell of a lot more than that!

[guyarab]

Dewsbury station has new screens and they do seem accurate. The new announcement set-up however, leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes we can get announcements over the top of announcements, or announcements simultaneously for both platforms, but the daftest is where the wording (pause) is greatly spaced and thenallrushestogetheratthe (pause) end.

I hope the way I've done that gives an impression of how it comes across. Adjustments need to be made for clarity alone.

We still have (at all stations) announcements telling us of late running or cancellations with the rail company supposedly apologising for the inconvenience caused. All very well, but the pasenger still has to struggle then with connections, or being late for an appointment or work etc.

[kendall17]

I feel that Dewsbury Station is an example setter. Only problem i get is it isn't loud enough when there is a train standing on a platform. You can sometimes get announcements for both platforms at the same time but you can only really hear 1 of them dependant on which platform you're on. The LED screens seem accurate when working though as do the LCD monitors within the station foyer.

[Craig]

Nov 18, 2008 22:08:41 GMT 1 guyarab said:

We still have (at all stations) announcements telling us of late running or cancellations with the rail company supposedly apologising for the inconvenience caused. All very well, but the pasenger still has to struggle then with connections, or being late for an appointment or work etc.

I do remember a few years back waiting at Birmingham New Street station. The announcements were the standard Phil Sayer ones, but the apologies for lateness were a little more sincere than is standard... "I'm very sorry to announce that the xxx is 10 minutes late" - note the emphasis on I'm very sorry, not We are very sorry to announce... No doubt this happens at other stations than Birmingham too.

Back to topic, if the Dewsbury stations have simultaneous announcements for each platform, that seems a sensible thing to me providing that the system is set up in a way that they can only be heard from the respective platforms. With regards to the bad (pause) timingoftheseannouncements, unfortunately that's something that will always happen with automated systems. My biggest problem with them though is that mostly I find them incomprehensible (take the Leeds announcer for example, who possibly is also now at Dewsbury (??) as she seems to be getting around a bit...).

[guyarab]

The announcements at Leeds have a female voice, whilst those at Dewsbury are of a man. At Leeds if a diesel pulls in/out (I would like to have used 'gets a head of steam'") when an announcement is being made then information given is lost because of engine noise.

The simultaneous announcements at Dewsbury are luckily, not that frequent, but are annoying when they do happen. Here's another little "collision": I heard recently the announcement of an approaching train which was then cut through by a different male voice warning about security.

[jackh]

The female announcement voiceover used at Leeds seems to be used at all Network Rail operated stations.

Was interesting last year when the new franchises kicked in they had another person name the new operators plugged into the normal voice.

[guyarab]

Since we discussed this subject, at Dewsbury, announcements of any sort are non-forthcoming!

[kendall17]

Nov 25, 2008 21:27:58 GMT 1 guyarab said:

Since we discussed this subject, at Dewsbury, announcements of any sort are non-forthcoming!

Oh great, are the boards off too? Oh well, no-one to announce how late the 16.37 First TPE train will be as it always is!

I'll guess @ 5minutes

[kendall17]

Nov 25, 2008 21:34:29 GMT 1 kendall17 said:

Nov 25, 2008 21:27:58 GMT 1 guyarab said:

Since we discussed this subject, at Dewsbury, announcements of any sort are non-forthcoming!

Oh great, are the boards off too? Oh well, no-one to announce how late the 16.37 First TPE train will be as it always is!

I'll guess @ 5minutes

I had perfect announcements today!

& i was correct with 5minutes but it was the 17.07 i got on.

[channex265]

Nov 20, 2008 16:50:10 GMT 1 @jackh said:

The female announcement voiceover used at Leeds seems to be used at all Network Rail operated stations.

Was interesting last year when the new franchises kicked in they had another person name the new operators plugged into the normal voice.

Her voice at Leeds is also heard at Sheffield..... It's cleaver how they put all the words togeather and make the same person do different station's! ;D

[Burnside]

Work to start at first station (Ilkley) next week sometime