Amtrak Announcements

[SP&S]

I don't see anything condescending about either one of those announcements.   Seriously, the admonition to not leave the platform, well people do go into a station and get left behind.  And the stuff about not leaving things behind, again people do that all the time.  I know that in many hotels, if you forget to pack a phone charger, just ask at the front desk - they probably have a drawer full of left behind chargers.

Now I've had some lounge car attendants that seemed like they'd never shut up

 

[VTTrain]

I guess I’ll just have to accept the difference between European announcements and American announcements.  We don’t get left on platforms and we don’t leave items behind with any greater frequency.  So I’m not convinced that these announcements are necessary.  My gut tells me that you’re so used to them that you’ve started to believe that they are.  But if the world was the same it would be a much more boring place, I suppose.   

 

[SarahZ]

I don't mind those type of announcements, but it does get annoying when whoever has the PA drones on and on and on and on and on...

If you want people to listen, keep it brief and to the point. Then repeat it. Once.

 

[tonijustine]

I don't see anything condescending about either one of those announcements.   Seriously, the admonition to not leave the platform, well people do go into a station and get left behind.  And the stuff about not leaving things behind, again people do that all the time.  I know that in many hotels, if you forget to pack a phone charger, just ask at the front desk - they probably have a drawer full of left behind chargers.
Now I've had some lounge car attendants that seemed like they'd never shut up [emoji4]

I had an LSA who would begin her announcements by singing a song. It was fun the first handful of times but then I began to tune her out.

 

[tonijustine]

I guess I’ll just have to accept the difference between European announcements and American announcements.  We don’t get left on platforms and we don’t leave items behind with any greater frequency.  So I’m not convinced that these announcements are necessary.  My gut tells me that you’re so used to them that you’ve started to believe that they are.  But if the world was the same it would be a much more boring place, I suppose.   

It is possible that the difference is the frequency of stops on American LD trains and European trains. I would expect that if the train stopped more frequently, announcements would be shorter. Since there can be hours between stops, people have more time to get engaged in other things and not hear the announcements.

Just a thought...no imperial evidence at all.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

My reaction varies depends on what is being discussed over the PA...

Warnings:  Many of the PA announcements are for fairly obvious warnings like not being left behind or not getting your soft foot caught between moving plates of hard metal.  That sort of information doesn't need to be updated often and should probably be placed in a safety pamphlet at each seat rather than being blasted over the PA system over and over again after each boarding.

Meals: This has to be one of the most inane examples of excessive overuse.  The only people who need to know that the 6PM seating has started are the relatively tiny percentage of passengers who are about to be seated.  Restaurants resolved this issue decades ago by implementing tickets with scoreboard signs and handing out buzzers with lights.  If Amtrak doesn't want to use those solutions they could have the next round of diners wait in the SSL and make dining update announcements in that specific car.

Sightseeing:  There are numerous ways for passengers to discover what's outside their window and when to look without having the staff blast it at everyone over the PA.  In the past Amtrak used to print up route guides and they seemed to work just fine to me.  On most of my trips I've already seen the same scenery dozens of times and if I'm busy or asleep when we pass something interesting I'd rather be left alone than roused or otherwise disturbed about it.

Schedule:  Delays and schedule updates are a perfect example of when you should make use of a live PA system.  These kinds of updates are likely to interest the vast majority of passengers on board and are unlikely to be predictable or uniform in a way that could be disseminated in some other fashion.

...And yes some of the announcements are surprisingly rude and condescending, especially when the dining car is criticizing a paying customer for entering the diner at the wrong time or in the wrong manner.  Some of Amtrak's LSA's have an attitude more inline with the infamous Soup Notzi.  Hearing the LSA complain to the entire train over one passenger's innocuous and unintentional breach of dining protocol really irks me.

 

[cpotisch]

I had an LSA who would begin her announcements by singing a song. It was fun the first handful of times but then I began to tune her out.

How long a song? hboy:

 

[railiner]

If it's safety things they're repeating; it may have to do with the fact that in US law (I'm not a lawyer, but knowing this tanjunctionally is part of my job) it's the responsibility of the (in my work case) manufacturer (or train operator in this case) to fully inform the user of the safety warning; whereas in most of the rest of the world, the responsibility of is more on the user (my work doesn't require me to know this part yet...)

peter

As far as 'law' is concerned, the DOT does now require certain safety announcements be made on intercity buses....

In the past, there was no such thing, but there is now...not sure when it started, but the driver has to mention location and use of emergency exits, fire extinguisher's, etc....

 

[Triley]

How long a song?

A few seconds....

I had an LSA who would begin her announcements by singing a song. It was fun the first handful of times but then I began to tune her out.

Train 27/28?

 

[Triley]

I guess I’ll just have to accept the difference between European announcements and American announcements.  We don’t get left on platforms and we don’t leave items behind with any greater frequency.  So I’m not convinced that these announcements are necessary.  My gut tells me that you’re so used to them that you’ve started to believe that they are.  But if the world was the same it would be a much more boring place, I suppose.   

You don't travel with Americans who are distracted then... Just yesterday on my train?

Abbreviated version:

My coach attendant seat to seat, "In 10 minutes we'll be pulling in to Everett, WA."

In the PA, "Now arriving, Everett, WA."

Also on the PA, "Last call, Everett, WA!"

Then not more than a minute after departing we had a girl come in to the diner and ask the conductor of the train was still going to stop in Everett.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

You don't travel with Americans who are distracted then... Just yesterday on my train?

Abbreviated version:

My coach attendant seat to seat, "In 10 minutes we'll be pulling in to Everett, WA."

In the PA, "Now arriving, Everett, WA."

Also on the PA, "Last call, Everett, WA!"

Then not more than a minute after departing we had a girl come in to the diner and ask the conductor of the train was still going to stop in Everett.

Why should the least competent people on the train dictate the experience for everyone else?  How is it my problem if someone else is too clueless/distracted to manage their own trip effectively?  Maybe they don't feel the need to grow up and take personal responsibility because we keep babysitting them with constant nudging and endless reminders?

 

[Triley]

Why should the least competent people on the train dictate the experience for everyone else?  How is it my problem if someone else is too clueless/distracted to manage their own trip effectively?  Maybe they don't feel the need to grow up and take personal responsibility because we keep babysitting them with constant nudging and endless reminders?

Believe me I agree with you, but the nagging reminders are because of the company's stance on carrybys.

 

[desertflyer]

I have a huge problem with the way announcements are handled by certain crew members. Most conductors I've encountered are quite good, but some are really intense with certain warnings. The "don't smoke or I'll throw you off at the next crossing. This is a family train, so watch your language or I'll throw you off at the next crossing" type of announcements make the train feel more like a lower class form of travel, and I think it's off putting to certain types of travelers. I'm also not sure it does much to stop the people who are likely to cause problems, either.

Having said that, the most surly announcements seem to come from the dining car. We had one of the sweetest dining car crews on the SWC recently, but if all you heard was the LSA's announcements, you wouldn't have known it. She would lay down the law before coming around for reservations and there was a general tone and language choice that was condescending.  God forbid someone entered the dining car before she called their timeslot. I guarantee her announcements wouldn't bother many of you seasoned Amtrak travelers, but from a customer experience standpoint, she needs to learn how to communicate without being so stern. It's about controlling the messaging. I also wouldn't be surprised if more people would comprehend her announcements better with the proper messaging adjustments.

Part of why bad announcement etiquette and messaging bothers me so much is that my company develops customer experience programs for our clients. A little bit of training goes a long way. General awareness around messaging can be taught and have a big impact on how it makes the passenger feel. Just because these types of interactions with crews aren't "write a complaint" worthy, it doesn't mean they don't impact the perception of Amtrak and the likelihood of patrons choosing it as a mode of travel in the future.

/endrant

 

[tonijustine]

Train 27/28?

8 but I have no recollection if I heard her before Spokane. I am guessing their is only one singing lounge attendant on the EB crews....

And to be fair she had an nice voice.

 

[Thirdrail7]

 The announcement starts at 9:53.  The part of this particular announcement that I thought was somewhat patronizing was the, “Galesburg included,” line at the very end of the announcement.  It doesn’t sound as bad when I re-listen to it.   Maybe hearing a bunch of announcements in a row on these videos exacerbated things. 

It doesn't sound bad but I suspect it was made this way because Galesburg is a designated smoking stop and passengers probably line up at the lounge door (or open it themselves) to smoke even though it will not open.