Government scraps 'endless torrent of announcements' on trains

The Government has announced that it will scrap "banal" and "contradictory" train tannoy messages on rail services across England.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said passengers are "plagued by an endless torrent of repeated and unnecessary announcements" and the move would make journeys more peaceful.

Announcements facing the axe over coming months include those reminding passengers to have their tickets ready when leaving a station or to keep volume levels on electronic devices low while on-board messages "blare out".

But a rail industry source said that it would be "crazy" for the Government to intervene at that level because it does not control what announcements are made by operators.

The Government's announcement is part of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, which launched last year as "the biggest reform to the railway in three decades".

Shapps said: "Train passengers are all too often plagued by an endless torrent of repeated and unnecessary announcements.

"In line with the passenger improvements we are rolling out with our Plan for Rail, we want to see improvements to the railways for those who use them day in day out.

"That’s why I’m calling for a bonfire of the banalities to bring down the number of announcements passengers are forced to sit through and make their journey that little bit more peaceful."

Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, accused ministers of having "nothing to say about the Conservatives’ cost of living crisis facing passengers".

"What hard-pressed passengers want to hear more than anything else is a plan to help them," she said.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union described the move as "nothing but a PR stunt by this collapsing Government".

General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "There’s also a real danger that if you axe announcements you axe the staff making them, and that’s very much in line with the cuts agenda we are geared up to fight."

The proposal was criticised by charity Guide Dogs, which said it would cause problems for the visually impaired.

Clive Wood, the charity's lead regional policy and campaigns manager said: "An announcement which is so-called 'unnecessary noise' by some might be the difference between someone taking the train confidently to visit family or friends or staying at home, so people with sight loss and other accessibility needs must be consulted and listened to as a priority."

The Rail Delivery Group industry body said it will work with customers so see which announcements would be most useful.