Last week, the Transport Sectary Grand Shapps set out plans for quieter train journeys on trains in England after the Government announce it will identify and remove ‘repetitive and unnecessary’ on-board announcements.

The Government said the changes mean that passengers will no longer be “bombarded with unnecessary ‘tannoy spam’ that distracts from important safety-critical messaging.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Train passengers are all too often plagued by an endless torrent of repeated and unnecessary announcements.

“In line with the passenger improvements, we are rolling out with our Plan for Rail we want to see improvements to the railways for those who use them day in day out.

“That’s why I’m calling for a bonfire of the banalities to bring down the number of announcements passengers are forced to sit through and make their journey that little bit more peaceful.”

Clive Wood, Lead Regional Policy and Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs, said: “People with sight loss rely on announcements to use trains independently and with confidence, so it’s absolutely vital that accessibility comes first, or they could find themselves excluded from train travel.

An announcement which is so-called ‘unnecessary noise’ by some might be the difference between someone taking the train confidently to visit family or friends or staying at home, so people with sight loss and other accessibility needs must be consulted and listened to as a priority.

Clive Wood, Legal Regional Policy and Campaigns Manager

“We will continue to fight to ensure the ‘bonfire of the banalities’ doesn’t take a match to accessible travel.”

The Department for Transport confirmed a review will take place over the course of this year, with redundant messages identified and starting to be removed in the coming months.

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