First Great Western promises to end 'tosh' messages on trains

First Great Western has said it will cut the amount of "tosh" announced on board its trains after passenger research found it irrelevant and repetitive.

The BBC reports that the train company said 40 per cent of content was not useful, according to a survey of rail users.

No smoking announcements will be dropped, as well as those information passengers where first class is located.

The news comes after Transport Minister Norman Baker urged train operators to curb "excessive" announcements.

The changes will come into effect in May and will also see the "Mind the gap" warnings used only when necessary and not at every station.

This is Plymouth reports that messages such as "Change here for connecting services to ..." will be replaced with relevant information on departure times and platform numbers.

First Great Western general manager David Crome said the intention is to get rid of the "tosh".

"Some things we do not need to say anymore such as announcements informing people they can't smoke on a service, or informing customers where standard and first class seating is," he said.

"We have been through the announcement guide to get rid of all the tosh - the redundant, the irrelevant and the repetitive."

But David Sidebottom, director at Passenger Focus, said there are certain announcements that are "vital".

"On board announcements are important to many passengers to ensure, for instance, that they are aboard the correct train, have a valid ticket, or know when to prepare to alight," he said.

"This repetitive information may be annoying to some passengers, but it is nevertheless vital for others."

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