DART Automatic Train Announcement System

[frankchitown]

Are there any plans for DART to implement an automatic train announcement system (ATAS) on the light rail? This would be very helpful especially to visitors, and also for frequent riders. The main reason is that the conductor does not always announce stops, and when they do it is usually someone mumbling and hard to understand or hear. I have almost missed my stop at the George Bush more than once because I'm reading the paper or on the phone. Another reason is the alternating left and right exits at each stop.
A good example to follow is the ATAS used on the El in Chicago. Here is an example, borrowing from the Chicago system...after the train leaves the Pearl Station, an announcement says "The next stop is Cityplace...passengers exit on the left at Cityplace" and when the train stops at Cityplace..."Cityplace Station....This is a Northbound Redline train to Parker" after the train leaves..."The next stop is Mockingbird, passengers exit to the left at Mockingbird"

I think this would be beneficial, because a ATAS is much easier to understand and hear (could also be in spanish). It is usually much louder than the conductor. Newcomers to the train will know they are headed the right direction, and riders could know in advance of their next stop. It is quite often, especially downtown, when people get off at the wrong stop thinking they are in the West End or Reunion. The "passengers get off on the left/right" was also helpful in Chicago because you arent waiting at the wrong side for the doors to open.
I'm not sure how expensive this system would be, but I believe there is something similiar on the TRE.

[Foucault]

Good idea. What accent would the English speaker have? Maybe on the TRE they could switch to a Texan accent when they crossed the county border. :) They should put French and Japanese on there, too, just for purposes of class.

[tamtagon]

They should put French and Japanese on there, too, just for purposes of class.

Or at least Spanish....

[Man of Leisure]

I've often pondered the same thing....I always figured they were trying unsuccessfully to have some old streetcar nostalgia or something. Automating it like the TRE (and telling passengers which side to exit as you suggested) just seems like something they should've had all along.

[frankchitown]

One of my favorite messages while in transit on the El in Chicago is... "Soliciting of any kind is prohibited on CTA trains, violators will be arrested." For some reason I always get a laugh out of that. Perhaps we could have friendlier messages.

[freewaytincan]

One of my favorite messages while in transit on the El in Chicago is... "Soliciting of any kind is prohibited on CTA trains, violators will be arrested." For some reason I always get a laugh out of that. Perhaps we could have friendlier messages.

I'm a big fan of the "No Gambling" sign on the DART trains.

[texcolo]

No gambling????

What a bunch of Nazis!!!!!!!

[freewaytincan]

No gambling????

What a bunch of Nazis!!!!!!!

LOL

I don't even understand the rationale.

[Foucault]

Could lead to violence???

[freewaytincan]

I guess.

[texcolo]

Hmmmm....

What to gamble on while aboard a DART train?

Will the train driver get the next station announcement wrong?

Will the next train have one, two or three cars? If it's one of the double articulated cars then it's double or nothing.

[Man of Leisure]

Hmmmm....

What to gamble on while aboard a DART train?

Will the train driver get the next station announcement wrong?

Will the next train have one, two or three cars? If it's one of the double articulated cars then it's double or nothing.

:D I might have to forget about playing craps and go that route -- and whomever wins also gets to start the cipher on the back of the train.

[Mballar]

Could lead to violence???

So could a political debate between Veep Cheney and Patrick Leahey over whether gambling should be prohibited on DART!!!

[Foucault]

Funny!

[RobertB]

I've often pondered the same thing....I always figured they were trying unsuccessfully to have some old streetcar nostalgia or something. Automating it like the TRE (and telling passengers which side to exit as you suggested) just seems like something they should've had all along.
Are you saying that you *like* the announcements on the TRE trains? The message that repeats over and over, every two minutes, all the way from Fort Worth to Dallas? That's the most annoying thing I've ever heard! The buses that talk to you are nearly as bad, but at least they've turned down the volume (or else I've just gotten used to it).

I really enjoy boarding the light rail train and listening to the driver. Some drivers give great information about the stops, some are barely intelligible. But that's just part of the experience. Is that nostalgia? I don't think so. I see it as an acknowlegement that you are on a train driven by a human being. Making it sterile and robotic takes something away from the ride, and makes new riders wonder if they'd be better off just taking their car instead.

[Man of Leisure]

Are you saying that you *like* the announcements on the TRE trains? The message that repeats over and over, every two minutes, all the way from Fort Worth to Dallas? That's the most annoying thing I've ever heard! The buses that talk to you are nearly as bad, but at least they've turned down the volume (or else I've just gotten used to it).

I really enjoy boarding the light rail train and listening to the driver. Some drivers give great information about the stops, some are barely intelligible. But that's just part of the experience. Is that nostalgia? I don't think so. I see it as an acknowlegement that you are on a train driven by a human being. Making it sterile and robotic takes something away from the ride, and makes new riders wonder if they'd be better off just taking their car instead.
Nah, not exactly like the TRE (which I agree can become a little annoying) but have it say it once really loud at each stop en ingles y espanol :D. I personally would not feel that making it automated like that would take away from the ride -- heck, I (and I'm sure many others) just want to know where I'm at and what's the next stop. It would be a sad commentary in my opinion if people really feel they'd be better off driving their vehicles by making stops automated. I may have sounded a tad condescending in my earlier post but what I meant by nostaligic (probably not the right choice of wording) was for people like yourself who enjoy that "personal" touch....I am not advocating replacing the drivers with machines, rather using appropriate technology to assist them.

[freewaytincan]

Nah, not exactly like the TRE (which I agree can become a little annoying) but have it say it once really loud at each stop en ingles y espanol :D. I personally would not feel that making it automated like that would take away from the ride -- heck, I (and I'm sure many others) just want to know where I'm at and what's the next stop. It would be a sad commentary in my opinion if people really feel they'd be better off driving their vehicles by making stops automated. I may have sounded a tad condescending in my earlier post but what I meant by nostaligic (probably not the right choice of wording) was for people like yourself who enjoy that "personal" touch....I am not advocating replacing the drivers with machines, rather using appropriate technology to assist them.

Yeah, the repetitiveness is really bad.

[frankchitown]

Are you saying that you *like* the announcements on the TRE trains? The message that repeats over and over, every two minutes, all the way from Fort Worth to Dallas?
No, I'm saying I like the ones in Chicago, they announce the next destination when leaving, and again when you arrive. People who ride everyday usually don't even notice, and tourists usually appreciate it. I've only ridden the TRE a few times, and I dont recall their system, but there is no need to repeat over and over.

[proko]

I personally would find it helpful to have a clear way to distinguish different lines running on the same track. I know it's not such a problem for DART, their headers in different colors and all...consider L.A. In their subway system, different lines share a common track for a long stretch & the only way to distinguish diff't lines is to read the 8 or 10-digit digital line on the sides of each car. They're hard to read & don't always work either.

Anyway, I propose perhaps DART & other American transit networks should consider distinguishing tones that announce different lines. That way you don't have to look up from what you're doing or be aurally assaulted with voices over loudspeakers. It seems so convenient, so inoffensive!

Listen to what different lines sound like in Tokyo:
http://melody.pos.to/sound/jreast/tokyo/sobu4_melody.mp3
http://melody.pos.to/sound/jreast/shimbashi/shimbashi_1melody.mp3
http://melody.pos.to/sound/jreast/shimbashi/shimbashi_2melody.mp3
http://melody.pos.to/sound/jreast/naritaairport/nex_an.mp3
http://melody.pos.to/sound/jreast/naritaairport/nex_melody.mp3

[freewaytincan]

No offense, but that's one of the worst things I have ever heard.

[tamtagon]

Oh, Urbanlandscape, go back to cut/past Meatwad pics, maybe you could treat us to a Frylock or Carl next?

I think an aural signature is brilliant, DART needs to get on board. Those Japanese samples seem so otherworldly, so polite.

[bloodandpopcorn]

I think it would be a great idea. It's not too necessary right now, but once we have four different lines running through downtown, a differentiating melody would be very nice. In Japan, these are not played too loudly, it's just like soft elevator music. It's no more annoying than the hum of the train or the driver speaking.

[freewaytincan]

Oh, Urbanlandscape, go back to cut/past Meatwad pics, maybe you could treat us to a Frylock or Carl next?

I think an aural signature is brilliant, DART needs to get on board. Those Japanese samples seem so otherworldly, so polite.

Sorry, I'm going for the unified look.

[texman]

i think i agree with urban on how horrible and stupid those melodys are.
ATHF rocks

[texcolo]

I think the automatic announcement system should be voiced by Larry Hagman.

[rantanamo]

Or Randy Galloway

[freewaytincan]

i think i agree with urban on how horrible and stupid those melodys are.
ATHF rocks

Werd X2

[texcolo]

.... Big Tex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RobertB]

.... Big Tex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now *that* might work.

Howdy... folks...
This... is... the... Red... Line... to... West... more... land... sta... tion...
The... next... sta... tion... is... A... rap... a...
Never... mind... we... already... passed... it...
Howdy... folks...

[texcolo]

Now *that* might work.

Howdy... folks...
This... is... the... Red... Line... to... West... more... land... sta... tion...
The... next... sta... tion... is... A... rap... a...
Never... mind... we... already... passed... it...
Howdy... folks...

ROFLOL!!!

:D

[rantanamo]

How about TEX...........................The Telephone Enrollment Exchange for the University of Texas at Austin..............Please enter your social security.....................sorry........this is DART rail.........................The next stop is.............please enter your social security.................sorry...........good bye and good luck.........................

[freewaytincan]

How about TEX...........................The Telephone Enrollment Exchange for the University of Texas at Austin..............Please enter your social security.....................sorry........this is DART rail.........................The next stop is.............please enter your social security.................sorry...........good bye and good luck.........................

I kinda like the synthetic computer voice.

[texcolo]

I went to NYC like 8 or 9 years ago and I swear they had Joey Soprano doing the phone numbers for information....

Da numbah is fowah, tooo, tree, noine, seben....

[dfwcre8tive]

Is there any explanation as to why the buses have automatic announcements but the rail line does not? It's just something I've thought about recently.

[Boredkid]

I was about to ask the same thing. Its nice how the buses say it but also how the screen shows the intersection the stop is at and if it is a transfer stop.

[JasonDallas]

Well I always wanted to ask this question myself. For the first time ever a couple weeks ago, I finally got very intelligible person announcing the stops. He sounded like James Earl Jones and apparently he was specifically trying to be heard because I was on one of the last trains of the morning rush which didn't travel the whole distance of the red line so he was trying to warn everyone.

Of course, I know what he's going to say ahead of time so I can't imagine the poor tourists/visitors that have to try to listen for their stops. We need a nice automated voice that gives the system a bit of personality and consistency like they have in the UK (e.g. the mind the gap lady).

Jason

[banking214]

Being fairly new to this enchanting city known as Big "D", where would one purchase a tariff to ride on the train? I have seen it (the train) once as it seemingly vanished into the ground. I have looked for ques to purchase, but have not yet seen people making a purchase. Do you purchase at a public or governmental office, such as a jail, public works location, jail, or food store? I do see CVS, but I believe this is a visitors center of some sort.

[FoUTASportscaster]

Tariff? Do you mean ticket. If that's the case then it's on the train platform.

[kozzy]

Back to the gambling comments.....I was riding with a friend one day and saw that sign for the first time. I pointed it out to him and he sternly responded "well, put away the roulette wheels!"

[RayM]

Being fairly new to this enchanting city known as Big "D", where would one purchase a tariff to ride on the train? I have seen it (the train) once as it seemingly vanished into the ground. I have looked for ques to purchase, but have not yet seen people making a purchase. Do you purchase at a public or governmental office, such as a jail, public works location, jail, or food store? I do see CVS, but I believe this is a visitors center of some sort.

DART's How to Ride page (http://www.dart.org/riding.asp?zeon=howlrt) is a good introduction for new riders. Most commuters will have purchased a monthly pass (from DART store or a grocer) so won't be using the ticketing machines.

CVS, by the way, is a chain drug store (the chemist's), like Eckerd or Walgreens.

[P-3]

Good news for those of you who want automated announcements. :director: DART is planning on getting an automated announcement system. It will all be part of the conversion of all the LRV's to SLRV's. All this won't happen of course until the 2 other lines open in a few years. The PA's on the train do suck. Alot of the times it isn't the operator not making announcements (sometimes it is). The PA's on the trains are just sorry. Alot of times the mic goes bad and it can go days or weeks maybe even months or years before someone notices. Sometimes the techs don't look at the little things like that or put it off cause they have other "more important" problems to deal with. The only thing DART is concerned about is keeping trains moving. If its on the track and it rolls it's good enough. It doesn't even matter if all or just 1 of the doors open or who got in or didn't. Just keep moving!!!

[RobertB]

I still prefer the drivers giving the announcement, although I have learned how to sleep through the annoying automated system on the bus. Haven't been on the TRE lately to know if it's still annoyingly loud and repetitive.

A link to something on DART's site would be nice.

Personally, I think they'd serve the need better by installing graphic displays that show where you are, instead of installing artificial voices to tell you.

[RayM]

Sorry for not posting this eariler - it kept slipping my mind. Am I the only one who has heard automatic announcements on DART LRT?

I've only experienced it once, and it was back in... oh... 1997? Maybe '98.

One red line trip of mine, there was an automated female voice that said something like, "Approaching Saint Paul Station. Saint Paul Station next." I can't recall what it said while at a station. When the train left the station it said, "Leaving Saint Paul Station. Akard Station next."

Then in a bit it said, "Approaching Akard Station. Akard Station next."

[Boredkid]

it may have just been a very bored and meltoned train driver. :juggle:

[grantboston]

Whatever DART decides to do, I hope it isn't like the computer voices the Green line has here in Boston. The voice sounds fake and computer generated. "neXT stoP, BOYLston. Doors will open on the RIght."

[RobertB]

Whatever DART decides to do, I hope it isn't like the computer voices the Green line has here in Boston. The voice sounds fake and computer generated. "neXT stoP, BOYLston. Doors will open on the RIght."
That's the one thing I can say about the DART automated announcement systems I've heard on the buses. They sound like a pre-recorded human, not a synthesized robot reading each word for the first time every time. I'd like to know more about the technical details, but it sounds like they generated a word list and had a voice actress read them. So when you hear "Midway and Keller Springs" and "Midway and Chennault", the word "Midway" sounds exactly the same. But there are some glitches -- I think Amelia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart) would flinch if she heard how the voice pronounces her name EAR-heart.

[sasquatch69]

Along the same lines, when will DART start using the digital signs on station platforms for more practical use? On the London Underground, very similar signs show the next train approaching and how far away it is (so for example, it would say "RED LINE PARKER RD - 3 min"). It seems a waste to have them just scrolling the time all the time (I know they occasionally use them for delay information, but even then they scroll so slowly that it takes a while to read what they have to say).

[dfwcre8tive]

Along the same lines, when will DART start using the digital signs on station platforms for more practical use? On the London Underground, very similar signs show the next train approaching and how far away it is (so for example, it would say "RED LINE PARKER RD - 3 min"). It seems a waste to have them just scrolling the time all the time (I know they occasionally use them for delay information, but even then they scroll so slowly that it takes a while to read what they have to say).

Are the digital signs only in suburban stations? I've never noticed any downtown or along the 'starter line' stations. I agree, they should put the ones they have to better use.

[RobertB]

Along the same lines, when will DART start using the digital signs on station platforms for more practical use? On the London Underground, very similar signs show the next train approaching and how far away it is (so for example, it would say "RED LINE PARKER RD - 3 min"). It seems a waste to have them just scrolling the time all the time (I know they occasionally use them for delay information, but even then they scroll so slowly that it takes a while to read what they have to say).
The TRE platforms have LED signs that do this, and it's really handy.

[SDORN]

I liked two of the chime on the chimes list.

However The varety should changed often.
Like our avatars are from time to time.

Scott