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"Quiet zones" on the Dublin-Cork train.

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    #32
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    There are a few problems with the announcements:

    1) They're way way way way WAYYYY too long. They should be brief and to the point:

    What's wrong with :

    Welcome aboard!! - This is the 12:00 service from Cork to Dublin Heuston - also serving : Mallow and Thurles.

    Please do not sit in reserved seats without a valid reservation!

    They need to cut all of the "ladies and gentlemen" and other other unnecessary phrases out of the script and use language as efficiently as possible.

    Between stations:

    Next station : Mallow.
    This is : Mallow.

    2) I know this may sound a bit sexist, but why are they using a deep male voice? It is extremely unclear over a speaker system for the platform announcements in particular and can sound mumbly at low volume on some trains. A mid-frequency (not too deep and not too high pitched) female voice is standard across most public transport systems for a very simple reason - it cuts across the background noise and it's easy to distinguish the words even at low volume.

    3) Can't announcements be directed to the vestibule areas only or made on the platforms? with speakers placed near the trains. They do this in other countries i.e. "Mind the gap" and "this is the XXX from YYY"

    SNCF certainly does. When the train pulls into the station it will announce (In French) "This is XXXXX" as you're stepping out the door.


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    #33
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Solair wrote: »
    SNCF certainly does. When the train pulls into the station it will announce (In French) "This is XXXXX" as you're stepping out the door.
    SNCF will also warn you about Romanians. :p


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    #34
    Transportuser09
    Registered Users Posts: 581 ✭✭✭Transportuser09


    Solair wrote: »
    There are a few problems with the announcements:

    1) They're way way way way WAYYYY too long. They should be brief and to the point:

    What's wrong with :

    Welcome aboard!! - This is the 12:00 service from Cork to Dublin Heuston - also serving : Mallow and Thurles.

    Please do not sit in reserved seats without a valid reservation!

    They need to cut all of the "ladies and gentlemen" and other other unnecessary phrases out of the script and use language as efficiently as possible.

    Between stations:

    Next station : Mallow.
    This is : Mallow.

    Agreed, a simple "This train is for X, The next station is Y" and maybe thing about seats should be sufficient. Amazing how ten years ago customers coped just fine with little or no regular announcements.


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    #35
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    SNCF will also warn you about Romanians. :p

    I was only referring to the way they present and produce their announcements, not to their content !! :D

    It doesn't appear to have been company policy though, they're blaming a local "initiative" ...


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    #36
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Solair wrote: »
    I was only referring to the way they present and produce their announcements, not to their content !! :D

    It doesn't appear to have been company policy though, they're blaming a local "initiative" ...
    Still the company got the wrap for it and had to apologise.


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    #37
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Still the company got the wrap for it and had to apologise.

    Yeah, well they are supposed to monitor what their staff are doing under the company's brand. It was a disgraceful incident and I think it says a lot about attitudes amongst certain people in france to immigrants than it does about the sncf itself.


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    #38
    Shuttle666
    Registered Users Posts: 172 ✭✭Shuttle666


    Agreed that the announcements on Dublin - Cork are OTT and VERY repetitive, even on the 'express' options. Agree with earlier post the policing by fellow passengers should be encouraged ... within reason, dirty look defo ok :).
    Another Dublin - Cork 'mad one' is if you are not splashing out on 1st - there is only 1 usable plug in standard - if you watch on any early train, these are always taken by able bodies when designed for easier access. Nearly every other intercity route has 100% at seat plugs at this stage??


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    #39
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    Shuttle666 wrote: »
    Agreed that the announcements on Dublin - Cork are OTT and VERY repetitive, even on the 'express' options. Agree with earlier post the policing by fellow passengers should be encouraged ... within reason, dirty look defo ok :).
    Another Dublin - Cork 'mad one' is if you are not splashing out on 1st - there is only 1 usable plug in standard - if you watch on any early train, these are always taken by able bodies when designed for easier access. Nearly every other intercity route has 100% at seat plugs at this stage??

    That was a huge screw-up in the specification for the MK4 trains. They should have had sockets at every seat. It's not that difficult to provide at the start, but it's a very tricky thing to retrofit as it means drilling holes.


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    #40
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Solair wrote: »
    That was a huge screw-up in the specification for the MK4 trains. They should have had sockets at every seat. It's not that difficult to provide at the start, but it's a very tricky thing to retrofit as it means drilling holes.
    they had a habit back then of only catering for 1st class with such luxuries as power sockets and paper rolls in the toilets, there were none in the mark 3's either.


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    #41
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,190 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    Anyone know if there are quiet carriages on other services? Is there a policy on this? Announcements are an issue but not a huge one for me. Most annoying are people playing music and having loud conversations. Is the first carriage behind the driver the dedicated quiet carriage on all trains?


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    #42
    TheQuietFella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,857 ✭✭✭TheQuietFella


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Anyone know if there are quiet carriages on other services? Is there a policy on this? Announcements are an issue but not a huge one for me. Most annoying are people playing music and having loud conversations. Is the first carriage behind the driver the dedicated quiet carriage on all trains?

    Why if people are playing music on a train don't you say something to them?

    I most certainly would and have done on bus and train!


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    #43
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,551 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Anyone know if there are quiet carriages on other services? Is there a policy on this? Announcements are an issue but not a huge one for me. Most annoying are people playing music and having loud conversations. Is the first carriage behind the driver the dedicated quiet carriage on all trains?

    Given the driver switches ends on a railcar for each trip, maintaining a quiet zone directly behind him would be a tad difficult.

    No other trains apart from the Mark 4 sets which operate most Dublin/Cork services have quiet zones is the simple answer.


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    #44
    savagethegoat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭savagethegoat


    6 year old thread.


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    #45
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,551 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    savagethegoat wrote: »
    6 year old thread.

    And two replies to a query posted yesterday!


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    #46
    5rtytry56
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,828 ✭✭✭5rtytry56


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Anyone know if there are quiet carriages on other services? Is there a policy on this? Announcements are an issue but not a huge one for me. Most annoying are people playing music and having loud conversations. Is the first carriage behind the driver the dedicated quiet carriage on all trains?

    Very very unlikely: my experience.

    Quiet zones are quickly more and more rarified on Irish Trains like Dublin - Belfast and Dublin Cork, in part due to reduced number of carriages.

    90% of passengers will simply ignore you nowadays, along with Irish Rail.

    In 2012, I was on the train from Cork travelling to Dublin. I remember tired and went to my assigned seat, with my name above it.

    At Mallow, about 4 middle aged individuals boards. At this stage, there were other completely empty seats and tables. Neverthelss, this group just sat down mostly in my table anyway. The fella facing me continued his loud conversation with the rest of the group as if I was'nt there at all. The conversation resonated through me. :(:(:(
    A few minutes later I got up, and approached the ticket inspector and said I was going to another seat. I found another seat and table. Dozed off again & peace.

    It's a bit like the Irish Pub trade here........Want to go for a "Quiet Pint" in town on a busy night for the bar trade?????


    :D:D:D:D:D


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    #47
    Rakish Paddy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 758 ✭✭✭Rakish Paddy


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Anyone know if there are quiet carriages on other services? Is there a policy on this? Announcements are an issue but not a huge one for me. Most annoying are people playing music and having loud conversations. Is the first carriage behind the driver the dedicated quiet carriage on all trains?

    I'd definitely pay an extra fiver or whatever for a ticket in a quiet carriage IF it was staffed and strictly enforced, so you were guaranteed to get the seat you actually reserved (this I think is one of Iarnród Éireann's most epic of fails), and security were on hand to keep scumbags (worst offenders for noise) out.


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    #48
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,190 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    TheQuietFella wrote: »
    Why if people are playing music on a train don't you say something to them?

    I most certainly would and have done on bus and train!

    That's a complex issue. I would feel awkward doing that. I also would feel afraid for my safety if they were a gang of bowsies.


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    #49
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Rakish Paddy wrote: »
    I'd definitely pay an extra fiver or whatever for a ticket in a quiet carriage IF it was staffed and strictly enforced, so you were guaranteed to get the seat you actually reserved (this I think is one of Iarnród Éireann's most epic of fails), and security were on hand to keep scumbags (worst offenders for noise) out.

    A fiver wouldn't cover the costs for the few people per train that might want to use it, would you pay maybe €100 extra?


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    #50
    Corca Baiscinn
    Registered Users Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Corca Baiscinn


    Funny, I read most of the thread without noticing that it was an old one! This is partly because OP's issue is still current and unresolved. A few weeks ago the IT had a piece where Una Mullaly asked well-known people "
    What makes you happy"
    the last part of Michael Hardings reply resonated with me!

    "At the level of my emotional wellbeing I think the abolition of the endless and inane announcements on the Sligo train would probably make me delirious with joy."

    On another note, re enforcement of a quiet zone, some years ago I was travelling by train with my sister over the Oresund Bridge between Malmo and Copenhagen. We were just chatting, (no music, no baby) when a fellow passenger tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the quiet zone sign on the window! no need for teams of enforcers

    One of my daughters tweeted IE to ask re quiet zones on other services and was told it was confined to the Cork service though if OP's experience of 6 years ago is still valid it's not guaranteed on that.

    Re lack of phone sockets, another daughter was taken aback on first discovering that they are not widely available on the Cork service as she was used to them being every seat on the Sligo line. It's nice for once on what used to be a Cinderella service to be ahead of the posse.


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    #51
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,551 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    Sockets are currently being retro-fitted onto the Dublin-Cork trains.


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    #52
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,876 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    There are no IR staff on the trains anymore.

    Apart from the ticket inspector now and then, and the trolley service which is outsourced I believe.

    I often wonder what happens if something kicks off between stations and the steady hand of an IR employee would cool things down quickly (like the assigned seating being taken by someone else etc.)

    Pulling the emergency cord is not an option in many disputes is it?

    Anyway, I've always had a pleasant journey on the train so far. Just one incident of a screaming mobile phone user. How self absorbed some people can be!


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    #53
    Del.Monte
    Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    There are no IR staff on the trains anymore.

    Apart from the ticket inspector now and then, and the trolley service which is outsourced I believe.

    I often wonder what happens if something kicks off between stations and the steady hand of an IR employee would cool things down quickly (like the assigned seating being taken by someone else etc.)

    Pulling the emergency cord is not an option in many disputes is it?

    Anyway, I've always had a pleasant journey on the train so far. Just one incident of a screaming mobile phone user. How self absorbed some people can be!

    Keep your fingers crossed because IE don't give a damn about passenger safety.

    ****



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    #54
    2RockMountain
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,012 ✭✭✭2RockMountain


    Quiet zones would be very helpful for people with autism and their families - announcements and noises can be very difficult for them.


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    #55
    Chromosphere
    Closed Accounts Posts: 204 ✭✭Chromosphere


    They should make the PA announcements much less verbose!
    They're just so long winded they never seem to end.

    I was on a cork Dublin train where the snack bar announcement got stuck in a loop and ran for a full 15+ mins.

    I actually thought I would get off the train at Thurles and just waste a couple of hours and be late rather than listen to it!

    Also, while I'm not being sexist here; there's a reason why a softer usually female voice is used in voice prompts like that. The CIE ones are very harsh sounding at times.


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