Automated on-train announcements

This article is about automated announcements on trains, pre-recorded, synthesised or otherwise. For announcements in train stations, see Train station announcement.

Automated on-train announcements, as opposed to on-train announcements made by a train conductor or a train driver, are pre-prepared audio recordings which are used to provide important travel information to passengers.^[1]

A train announcement in Taipei Metro, informing the train is approaching Taipei Main Station and transferring information to passengers

The information contained in automated on-train announcements often include the following:

• Name of the next station
• Direction of travel
• Destination of train
• Interchange information
• The side the doors will open on
• General warnings and reminders, for example 'mind the gap'

Purpose

Automated on-train announcements are particularly useful for visually impaired passengers.^[2] Automated announcements were introduced to the Moscow Metro in 1972, and following the suggestions of the All-Russian Society of the Blind, upcoming stations are announced by a male voice on inbound trains towards the city centre (and on clockwise Circle line trains), and by a female voice on outbound trains towards the suburbs (and on anti-clockwise Circle line trains).^[2] Automated announcements are also likely to be made in the official languages of the area of the train service, and occasionally certain foreign languages to cater to tourists. For example, on-train announcements in Taipei Metro are made in the three official languages of Taiwan (Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka) as well as in English, Japanese and Korean.^[3]

Application

Hong Kong

MTR

Most on-train announcements are automated, though train drivers also have the power to override the automated announcements and make manual ones. Notably, a train driver frustrated with a commuter who was fast asleep made manual announcements in an attempt to wake the passenger up.^[4]

Announcements are always made in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and in that order (other than on Light Rail services where Mandarin is omitted). A different set of automated announcements is used on the Disneyland Resort line.^[5]

Announcement type	Script/Template
Doors closing	Cantonese: 請勿靠近車門。 Mandarin Chinese: 请不要靠近车门。 English: Please stand back from the doors.
Next station	Cantonese: 下一站，(station name in Cantonese)。 Mandarin Chinese: 下一站，(station name in Mandarin)。 English: Next station, (station name in English).
Interchange information 1	Cantonese: 乘客可以轉乘 (lines)。 Mandarin Chinese: 乘客可以换乘 (lines)。 English: Interchange station for the (lines).
Interchange information 2	Cantonese: 乘客可以轉乘 (lines) 往 (destination) （或康城）（沿途各站）（或者換乘）（line 2）（或 line 3)。 Mandarin Chinese: 乘客可以换乘 (lines) 前往 (destination) （或康城）（沿途各站）（或是/或者换乘）（line 2）（或 line 3)。 English: Interchange station for the (line 1) towards (destination) (or LOHAS Park/line 2) (and line 3)
Interchange information (Tsim Sha Tsui station)	Cantonese: 此站連接尖東站及屯馬綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 此站连接尖东站和屯马线。 English: Connecting station for East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the Tuen Ma Line.
Interchange information (East Tsim Sha Tsui station)	Cantonese: 此站連接尖沙咀站及荃灣綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 此站连接尖沙咀站和荃湾线。 English: Connecting station for Tsim Sha Tsui Station and the Tsuen Wan Line.
Interchange information (Austin and Kowloon stations)	Cantonese: 此站連接香港西九龍站及高速鐵路。 Mandarin Chinese: 此站连接香港西九龙站和高速铁路。 English: Connecting station for Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the High Speed Rail.
Door side	Cantonese: 左/右邊嘅車門將會打開。 Mandarin Chinese: 左/右边的车门将会打开。 English: Doors will open on the left/right.
End of the line	Cantonese: (station)，呢個係（line）嘅尾站。多謝乘搭港鐵。 Mandarin Chinese: (station)，这是（line）的终点站。谢谢乘搭港铁。 English: (station), end of the (line). Thank you for travelling on the MTR.
Everyone out	Cantonese: 請所有乘客落車。 Mandarin Chinese: 请所有乘客下车。 English: Please exit from the train.
Mind the gap	Cantonese: 請小心月台空隙。 Mandarin Chinese: 请小心月台的空隙。 English: Please mind the gap.
Courtesy	Cantonese: 請讓座予長者或有需要人士，多謝合作。 Mandarin Chinese: 让座给长者或有需要的人，谢谢合作。 English: Please offer your seat to the elderly or those in need. Thank you.
'Disneyland Resort line': Departing Sunny Bay station	Cantonese: 歡迎乘搭迪士尼綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 欢迎乘搭迪士尼线。 English: Welcome to the Disneyland Resort Line. (Music) Cantonese: 我哋即將帶你進入香港迪士尼樂園嘅奇妙世界。 Mandarin Chinese: 我们即将带你进入香港迪士尼乐园的奇妙世界。 English: We will soon arrive at the magical world of Hong Kong Disneyland.
'Disneyland Resort line': Arriving at Disneyland Resort station	Cantonese: 迪士尼站，祝大家有奇妙嘅一天。 Mandarin Chinese: 迪士尼站，祝大家有奇妙的一天。 English: Disneyland Resort Station, have a magical day! (Music)
'Disneyland Resort line': Leaving Disneyland Resort station	(Music) Cantonese: 歡迎乘搭迪士尼綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 欢迎乘搭迪士尼线。 English: Welcome to the Disneyland Resort Line. (Music) Cantonese: 我哋即將帶你返去現代化嘅香港。 Mandarin Chinese: 我们即将带你回到现代化的香港。 English: We now bring you back to the modern city of Hong Kong.
'Disneyland Resort line': Arriving at Sunny Bay station	(Music) Cantonese: 欣澳，乘客可以喺呢個充滿時代感嘅車站轉乘東涌綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 欣澳，乘客可以在这个充满时代感的车站换乘东涌线。 English: Sunny Bay, the futuristic gateway to the Tung Chung Line and modern Hong Kong. Cantonese: 多謝乘搭迪士尼綫。 Mandarin Chinese: 谢谢乘搭迪士尼线。 English: Thank you for travelling on the Disneyland Resort Line.

Macao

Macao Light Rapid Transit

Announcements are always made in Cantonese, Portuguese, Mandarin and English, and in that order.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Terminus	Cantonese: 本列車終點站： Portuguese: O destino deste comboio é: Mandarin Chinese: 本列车终点站： English: This train's destination is:
Doors closing	Cantonese: 車門即將關閉。 Portuguese: As portas vão fechar. Mandarin Chinese: 车门即将关闭。 English: Doors are closing.
Next station	Cantonese: 即將到達：(station) Portuguese: Estamos a chegar a/ao/á (station). Mandarin Chinese: 即将到达：(station) English: We are arriving at (station).
Interchange information Union Hospital station (Seac Pai Van line)	Cantonese: 協和醫院站可轉乘氹仔線。 Portuguese: Estacão Hospital Union. Correspondência da Linha da Taipa. Mandarin Chinese: 协和医院站可转乘氹仔线。 English: Union Hospital. Interchange station of Taipa line.
At station	Cantonese: 列車到達：(station) Portuguese: Estamos em/no/na (station). Mandarin Chinese: 列车到达：(station) English: This is (station).
Door side	Cantonese: 左邊/右邊車門將會打開。 Portuguese: As portas abrem-se do lado esquerdo/direito. Mandarin Chinese: 左边/右边车门将会打开。 English: Doors open on the left/right.
Arriving at terminus	Cantonese: 下一站：終點站，請所有乘客落車。 Portuguese: A próxima estação é a estação terminal. Por favor, abandone o comboio. Mandarin Chinese: 下一站：终点站，请所有乘客下车。 English: Next station is terminus. Please exit from the train

Singapore

Mass Rapid Transit

The official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil,^[6] though the lingua franca is English.

MRT automated station announcements are mostly made in English, though a three-month trial which has since been scrapped saw all station names being announced in Mandarin Chinese as well.^[7] At present, some stations are also announced in Mandarin Chinese, particularly on the Downtown MRT line, especially where the Chinese and English names differ greatly in pronunciation. Safety announcements are made in all four official languages.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Doors closing	Doors are closing.
Mind the gap	English: Please mind the gap. Mandarin Chinese: 请小心空隙 Malay: Berhati-hati di ruang platform. Tamil: தயவு செய்து தளம் மேடை இடைவெளியை கவனத்தில் கொள்ளுங்கள்.
Report suspicious behaviour	English: Please do not leave your belongings unattended. If you see any suspicious-looking person or article, please inform our staff, or press the emergency communication button located at the side of the train doors Mandarin Chinese: 请保管好您的随身物品。若发现任何形迹可疑的人物，或遗留在车厢内的可疑物件，请通知我们的工作人员，或按车厢门边的紧急通讯系统，与我们联络 Malay: Jangan tinggalkan barang anda tanpa diawasi. Jika anda ternampak orang atau barang yang mencurigakan, sila laporkan kepada kakitangan kami, atau tekan butang kecemasan yang tertelak di tepi pintu kereta api. Tamil: உங்களது உடமைகளை கவனிக்காமல் விட்ட செல்லாதீர்கள். சந்தேகத்துக்குரிய அந்நபரை அல்லது பொருளை நீங்கள் கண்டால் எங்கள் ஊழியர்களிடம் தெரியப்படுத்துங்கள் அல்லது ரயில் கதவுகளுக்கும் பக்கத்தில் அமைந்திருக்கும் அவசர தொடர்பு விசையை அழுத்துங்கள்.

United Kingdom

London Underground

Some of these announcements are very rare, but exist on the system as pre-recorded messages.^[8][9]

Announcement type	Script/Template
Mind the gap	(Please) mind the gap between the train and the platform.
Next station	The next station is (station).
Terminus (Jubilee line)	This train terminates at (station).
Terminus (Northern line)	This is a Northern line train terminating at (station).
Terminus (Metropolitan line)	This is a fast/semi-fast/all stations Metropolitan line train to (destination).
Terminus (other lines)	This is a (line name) service/train to (destination).
Report suspicious behaviour	When you see something that looks unusual, speak to a member of staff or text British Transport Police on 61016, and we'll get it sorted. That's 61016. See it, say it, sorted.
Extra station information	Change here for (lines). Exit here for (destinations). This station has step-free access. The (line) is (part) suspended (due to planned engineering works. Please use alternative routes.)
Arriving at terminus	This is (station), where this train terminates. (Please take your belongings with you when you leave the train.) (All change.)
Ready to depart	This train is ready to depart. Please stand clear of the doors. Mind the closing doors.
Door side	Doors will open on the right/left-hand side.
Red signal	This train is being held at a red signal and should be moving shortly.
Personal belongings	Please keep your personal belongings with you at all times.
Evacuation[10]	Attention. This train and station are now being evacuated. Please leave the train and exit the station. Follow any instructions given by staff.
Next station closed	The next station is closed.
Next station evacuated	Customer security alert. The next station has been closed and evacuated. (Line) trains will not stop.
Regulation of service	This train is being held here to regulate the service.
Severe delays	The (line) is operating with severe delays.
Ignore beggars	There are beggars and buskers operating on the train. Please do not encourage their presence by supporting them.
Move inside the carriage	Please move right down inside the cars.

France

Paris Metro

Automated station announcements on the Paris Metro notably do not include transferring information. Station announcements are made only in French, while safety and warning announcements are also sometimes made in English, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, depending on the line and the location.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Mind the gap	French: Attention à la marche, en descendant du train. English: Please mind the gap between the train and the platform German: Bitte achten Sie auf die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante. Spanish: Cuidado con el espacio entre el vagón y el andén. Italian: Attenzione al gradino scendendo dal treno. Japanese: 足元にご注意ください。
Pickpocket alert	French: Des pickpockets peuvent être présents en station ou à bord des trains. Fermez bien vos sacs et soyez vigilants en utilisant votre smartphone. English: Beware of pickpockets. German: Achtung vor Taschendieben. Japanese: スリにご注意ください。 Spanish: Cuidado con los carteristas. Mandarin Chinese: 请保管好个人物品，谨防扒手。 Italian: Fate attenzione agli scippatori.

Belgium

Brussels Metro

Automated station announcements on the Brussels Metro are made in the official languages of the Brussels Capital Region, namely French and Flemish Dutch, as well as in English. The order of the languages used in announcements is linked to how the station appears on the map. For example, Brussels-South railway station is announced as Zuidstation/Gare du Midi but Brussels-Central railway station is announced as Gare Centrale/Centraal Station.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Interchange information (Dutch)	Aansluiting (lines)
Interchange information (French)	Correspondances (lines)
Interchange information (English)	(Lines) connections

Canada

Toronto subway

Automated station announcements on the Toronto subway are made in English.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Next station	Next station is (station). (Station name) station. (Change for line ___).
Arriving at	Arriving at (station). (Station name) station. (Change here for line ___). Doors will open on the right/left.

United States

Washington Metro

Automated station announcements on the Washington Metro are made in English. They are only found on 7000-series trains, whereas older trains only have doors opening and closing announcements automated with all other announcements spoken by the conductor. This list does not include every possible announcement format.

Announcement type	Script/Template
(Approaching station)	This is (station). Doors opening on the (left/right).
(Approaching station, transfer information)	Transfer is available to the (lines).
(Approaching station, last transfer information)	Last transfer station to the (lines).
(Approaching station, Metro Center/Gallery Place/L'Enfant Plaza, lower level)	Transfer is available to the (lines) on the upper level, and to the (lines) on this level.
(Approaching station, Amtrak/MARC/VRE/Intercity bus transfer information)	Connection is available to (Amtrak/MARC commuter rail/Virginia Railway Express/various bus operators).
(At station)	Doors opening. This is a (color) Line train to (destination). When boarding move to the center of the car. The (next/next and last) stop is (next stop). Step back. Doors closing.[11]

India

Namma Metro (Bangalore)

Announcements on the metro are made primarily in Kannada and English.

Announcement type	Script/Template
Next station	Kannada:ಮುಂದಿನ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ ಇಂದಿರಾ ನಗರ English: Next station Indiranagar
Approaching station	Kannada: ರೈಲು ಈಗ ಇಂದಿರಾ ನಗರಕ್ಕೆ ತಲುಪಲಿದೆ ಬಾಗಲುಗಳು ಎಳಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರೆಯಲ್ಲಿರಿ. ರೈಲು ಇರುವ ಮುನ್ನ ಅಂತರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಗಮನವಿರಲಿ English: Train will arrive in Indiranagar and doors will open on the left. Please mind the gap while de-boarding
Approaching station (Interchange)	Kannada: ರೈಲು ಈಗ ನಾಡಪ್ರಭು ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ ಮೆಜಸ್ಟಿಕ್ ಗೆ ತಲುಪಲಿದೆ ಬಾಗಿಲುಗಳು ಎಡಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರೆಯಲಿದೆ ರೈಲು ಹಿಡಿಯುವ ಮುನ್ನ ಅಂತರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಗಮನವಿರಲಿ ಹಸಿರು ಬಣ್ಣದ ಮಾರ್ಗಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಿ English: The train will arrive in Naidu Prabhu Kempegowda Station, Majestic. Doors will open left. Please mind the cap while de-boarding. Change here for the green line
Terminus station	Kannada: ಈ ರೈಲು ಮುಂದೇ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊನೆಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ English: This train Terminates here
End station (Not terminus)	Kannada: ಈ ರೈಲು ಮುಂದೇ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊನೆಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರು ಮುಂದಿನ ರೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಯಾಣವನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರಿಸಲು ವಿನಂತಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. English: This train Terminates here. Passengers are requested to continue their journey by next train.

Mumbai Metro

Announcement type	Script/Template
Next station (Line 1, Monorail)	Marathi : पुढील स्थानक मरोळ नाका.डावीकडील दारे उघडतील. English : Next station Marol Naka. Doors will open on the left.
Next Station (Line 2a and 7)	Marathi : पुढील स्थानक डहाणूकरवाडी English : Next station , Dahanukarwadi
Approaching Station (Line 2a and 7)	Marathi : डहाणूकरवाडी स्थानक दरवाजे डावीकडे उघडतील फलाट्यामधील अंतरावर लक्ष द्या English : Dahanukarwadi station. Doors will open on the left. Please mind the gap.
Welcome	Marathi : मुंबई मेट्रोमध्ये आपलं स्वागत आहे ही गाडी <station> स्थानकापर्यंत जाईल English : Welcome to Mumbai metro. This train goes to <station name> station.
Terminus station	Marathi : हे य्हा गडीचं शेवटचं स्थानक आहे. मुंबई मेट्रो सोबत प्रवास केल्याबद्दल धन्यवाद. English : This train terminates here. Thank you for travelling with Mumbai metro.
Interchange station	Marathi : पिवळ्या मार्गीके साठी इथे बदला. English : Change here for the yellow line.