Friday, April 27, 2007

Train Operators, Speak Up!

Let me start by saying that what I'm about to say only applies to some of the train operators I encounter. There are others who speak loudly and clearly, which passengers appreciate.

Today, (actually, this happens many times), our train needed to hold still for a few minutes for some reason that I still don't know because I couldn't hear it! I actually didn't know how long we would be holding because all I knew was the door remained open for at least 2.5 minutes and the TO was mumbling something softly over the system that no one could understand!

We all looked at each other, asking, "what did he say?" "what's the problem?" I don't know if it's a problem with the speakers but a good number of TOs do have this issue. They go on and on about the transfer information (which, by the way, is VERY important to visitors, first timers..etc.), door warnings, or just announce the stations with a whisper when none of us can hear a thing! In this case, I think someone tried to call the TO to ask, but I'm not sure what happened because I never heard a clarification.

We know something is being said, but all we hear are mumbles, whispers, and a lot of noise.

It can't all be because of the noise, because I have encountered many TOs who actaully loudly and proudly announces every bit of important information!

So, is this problems caused by the speaker system/sound, or is it just that many TOs don't want to speak with volume and clarity??

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a mixture of factors. Some cabs have better PA systems than others. Also, some morning operators are not particularly loud because they are trying to be considerate of folks snoozing on the train. Some operators are just quiet speakers all the time.