New pre-recorded announcements and map

[tonyw79sfv]

The Red/Purple Line finally has a pre-recorded voice like our light rail lines. I didn't hear it this morning coming into work, but on the North-Hollywood bound run that stops at Sunset/Vermont at 4:29pm, I heard it, and for a minute there, thought I stepped into a Blue Line train. I doubt it's automatic and probably controlled by the operator. With this, I'll never be able to tell who runs the Red Line trains anymore, especially that guy with the accent announcing that the Orange Line is "outside the station, across the street".

Earlier this week, car I saw a new overhead map in car 579 showing both the Red and Purple Lines, and connections to the Orange Line, Harbor Transitway, Blue Line, Gold Line, and El Monte Busway.

[bluelineshawn]

If they're like the blue line then the automated announcements are bound to screw up every once in a while. Hopefully the T/O will make the announcements whenever that happens. Some of the blue line T/O's will not make manual announcements and I've seen a green line T/O keep playing the automated announcements even though the wrong station was being announced at every stop.

[tonyw79sfv]

I just wanted to update that I haven't heard the pre-recorded announcments on the Red Line today. Maybe they're testing it or it's only set up in one train set and I happen to catch that one.

[Elson]

tonyw79sfv said:

The Red/Purple Line finally has a pre-recorded voice like our light rail lines. I didn't hear it this morning coming into work, but on the North-Hollywood bound run that stops at Sunset/Vermont at 4:29pm, I heard it, and for a minute there, thought I stepped into a Blue Line train. I doubt it's automatic and probably controlled by the operator. With this, I'll never be able to tell who runs the Red Line trains anymore, especially that guy with the accent announcing that the Orange Line is "outside the station, across the street".

I believe the Blue, Gold and Green line recordings are controlled by computer, which are connected to a GPS network. The train's location triggers the recording. Eventually they plan to use GPS technology (which they also use for some buses, especially the Orange Line) to link it to the web or cellphones so people know when trains/buses are coming.

I also hope the new Red Line recording trains have updated speakers. As a musician/audio type person, the cheap, tinny midrangey speakers that came standards on the subway cars are not only awful, but make anyone sound unintelligible. The problem is that the tunnel noise is made of upper midrange frequencies and the cheap speakers carry upper midrange frequencies, so anything coming out of them couldn't really be heard well.

When I rode in Chicago's El a few years ago, the announcement recordings were boomy and bassy - which really stood out and was heard loud and clear when you were in the horrendously loud subway tunnel portions (they keep some of the train windows open).

The recordings on our light rail trains sound more lower midrange and it does sound like they upgraded the speaker systems there. But then aside from a half mile of Blue Line and a few yards of Gold Line, there's no tunnel noise to deal with in an LRV.

[bluelineshawn]

I believe the Blue, Gold and Green line recordings are controlled by computer, which are connected to a GPS network. The train's location triggers the recording.

Where did you here that they were using GPS? I had assumed that it was tied into the signalling hardware, but I hadn't heard either way.

[wad]

elson said:

I believe the Blue, Gold and Green line recordings are controlled by computer, which are connected to a GPS network. The train's location triggers the recording. Eventually they plan to use GPS technology (which they also use for some buses, especially the Orange Line) to link it to the web or cellphones so people know when trains/buses are coming.

On a few occasions the Blue Line announcements have been wrong, so it's not a fail-safe system.

The ones on the buses are GPS-based, and have been very accurate.

I also hope the new Red Line recording trains have updated speakers. As a musician/audio type person, the cheap, tinny midrangey speakers that came standards on the subway cars are not only awful, but make anyone sound unintelligible. The problem is that the tunnel noise is made of upper midrange frequencies and the cheap speakers carry upper midrange frequencies, so anything coming out of them couldn't really be heard well.

You mentioned it being a lot in the voice, too. A baritone or basso would come through better than higher voices.

I think the guy hired to VO the bus announcements should also do ones for the subway. I'm not sure if he's the guy who did the Gold Line recordings.

[tonyw79sfv]

The announcement for the buses are different from our rail lines. The rail lines use real human voices while the buses are computer generated. The bus announcements are GPS based and are also prone to error on rare occasions, especially on Rapids where a stop a mile away is announced immediately before arriving at the current one. The GPS on the buses are also tied to those Transit TV maps, and for some Rapids, the real time cell phone estimated arrival times, or the displays on 720, 750 (not sure if these are active), and Orange Line. GPS is possible for the Green Line, but for Blue and Gold, it would be hard for the tunneled segments. It's impossible to get GPS coordinates in the Red Line, so some signalling system is needed, otherwise it's manually operated.

As a side note, I want others to note when they catch the Red or Purple Line train set with the pre-recorded announcements as I thought it was being implemented systemwide when I heard it last Friday afternoon. Lately, I've been hearing mundane announcements like usual.

[Elson]

bluelineshawn said:

I believe the Blue, Gold and Green line recordings are controlled by computer, which are connected to a GPS network. The train's location triggers the recording.

Where did you here that they were using GPS? I had assumed that it was tied into the signalling hardware, but I hadn't heard either way.

I might have gotten that mixed up with another system...At least they're not using a cassette, like the original SD Trolley cars did!

[Elson]

I rode a Red Line train tonight...was pleasantly surprised the destination screen on the train read: "RED LINE" (wipe) "NOR HOLLYWD"

This train had the pre-recorded announcements, with the same English and Spanish voices as on the Green/Gold lines, but the awful Red Line speaker system STILL rendered them unintelligible, with a tinny, upper-midrange sound.

These trains need better speakers.

[tonyw79sfv]

I knew that train is somewhere, but I feel that there is only one set of train with the pre-recorded announcements as I haven't heard them since the first time. Elson, maybe we can pitch in and get the Red/Purple Line trains some JBL speakers

[tonyw79sfv]

Well, I came across the train with the recorded announcements again. This time it's the North Hollywood Red-bound Line train that stops at Vermont/Sunset at 4:39pm. I was in car 541, which is number 3 in the set. I tried to make a recording using my cellphone but it's nearly unintelligeable.

[bluelineshawn]

I heard them today for the first time. IIRC I was in car 565. They were very loud and clear. Still I'm going to miss the manual announcements.

[Elson]

bluelineshawn said:

I heard them today for the first time. IIRC I was in car 565. They were very loud and clear. Still I'm going to miss the manual announcements.

The problem with the manual announcements is that the operators take liberties with the station names. For example, and perhaps the perfect example, is calling the 7th Street/Metro Center stop. The operators ALWAYS call it "Seventh And Metro." Gee, I've lived here all my life and didn't know Los Angeles had a "Metro Avenue!"

[Elson]

tonyw79sfv said:

I knew that train is somewhere, but I feel that there is only one set of train with the pre-recorded announcements as I haven't heard them since the first time. Elson, maybe we can pitch in and get the Red/Purple Line trains some JBL speakers

Haha, and some subwoofers while we're at it. We'll be the first Metro with a boomin' system. A virtual soul train, if you will, haha.

Seriously, even the speakers they use on the Blue/Gold/Green line LRVs would be an improvement, they carry lower midrange much better.

[tonyw79sfv]

elson said:

Haha, and some subwoofers while we're at it. We'll be the first Metro with a boomin' system. A virtual soul train, if you will, haha.

Seriously, even the speakers they use on the Blue/Gold/Green line LRVs would be an improvement, they carry lower midrange much better.

For the record, the only public transportation in LA with a rockin sound system is LADOT's Holly Trolley. Metro doesn't allow loud music in buses and trains .