MIG wrote:
On Feb 26, 4:19 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
MIG wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:08 am, "Joe Patrick"
wrote:
Given that London is a major international tourist destination,
and having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the
line diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many
passengers do appreciate being told the next station name in
advance. There are many examples of over-provision in
announcements, but this isn't one of them.

But if you're going somewhere, do you just get on a train and
hope someone will announce where you've got to get off? Whenever
I've been somewhere I've researched in a guide book or online to
find the nearest station. It's rather like announcing where you
can change for other lines, surely you'd plan your journey
beforehand and work out yourself where you've got to change.

Or, looking at it another way, if you didn't know where any of the
lines went without an announcement, it wouldn't be any use to be
told that you could change to one of them, because you wouldn't
know if it took you where you wanted to go.

I can't see any point in any of the announcements, apart from the
ones reminding you that the next station is closed and other
variations from the published service.

I found it helpful to be told that Notting Hill Gate was the next
stop today, having been engrossed in Metro for several stations.
Seriously, all you are saying is that you know your way around
without any help. Thousands aren't so fortunate.

I am saying nothing of the sort. I thought I was quite clear that I
thought that these kind of announcements don't help.

You made it clear that the announcements don't help *you*.

Let's imagine that I am in Paris. I get on a train on Line 4
without knowing what line my destination station is on or where to
change.

How would it help me to hear an announcement that I am at a station
with a French name where I can change to line 6?

Barbès Rochechouart, in fact, and of course it wouldn't help if you
hadn't done *any* preparation.

In real life, I would have found out what line my destination was on
and where to change, and I would recognise the place from seeing its
name written on a station sign, having looked at the diagram and
noticed as I passed the stop before.

Yes, yes, we know you understand all these things and are terribly well
organised and intelligent, but please don't assume that all visitors or
occasional passengers are like that. My experience is that many people
look at the Tube map at the start of the journey, and can see that they
need, say, the Piccadilly, then the Bakerloo, but may not notice or
remember the name of the interchange station. I've also seen many
people who may manage eventually to work things out from the Tube map,
but do appreciate having things confirmed by announcements or fellow
passengers.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)