Have you noticed how annoying MRT station announcements have become of late? No? Then you are like me (and probably all the other “zombie” commuters), oblivious to them after a while… Until a good friend of mine, who just returned from the UK, pointed it out to me, I didn’t realize how much more irritating it has become recently (especially now that it is all pre-recorded, in this woman’s voice with this really fake or weird accent, and can be repeated at will.. or should I say.. at the whims and fancies of the station people??).

As I took the MRT train home today, and waited but briefly (I should think no more than two, three minutes?) at the Orchard station, I caught no less than 6 different announcements, with at least two to three of them strung together, one after another. The problem is, they all start off with the same “ding, ding, ding” chime.. and then the woman-with-annoying-accent saying “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please”… followed by a short pause, and then one of the following, or their many possible variations .. “May we remind you that eating and drinking are not allowed on the trains or in the station at all times” Or “May we remind you to allow passengers to alight from the trains before boarding” or “The train on Platform A (or B or C or D) will terminate at Yishun/Pasir Ris/Changi Airport/whatever) or something else… and all of them ending with “Thank you for your cooperation”…

one could certainly go mad just listening to them, going on and on, especially at the end of a tiring workday and when the trains just don’t come... I wish they could just get the announcements over with quickly, like how they do in London with the short and chirpy “Mind The Gap!”. and leave out all that unnecessary chime and pseudo-politeness…. Urgh.. very annoying…

oh ya, and when you finally get onto the trains, you get a whole new set of announcements.. oh well..