When it comes to audio announcements, Montreal’s metro system is so conservative, it’s almost Puritanical. For the most part, the only regular information conveyed over the PA system is the name of the next stop — and even then, there are many occasions when no announcements are made at all. By contrast, many other cities announce connection information, warn passengers to stand clear of the doors when they are closing and let people know when trains are approaching the platform. (In Hong Kong, these announcements are even made in three languages.)
All of this must make the metro extraordinarily difficult to navigate for the blind. That will soon change when the STM finally implements an audio signal for the closing of the metro car doors. The signal will be tested until March 30th and the STM is looking for feedback before they introduce it on a permanent basis. Check out their website here and, if you hear it, let them know what you think.
3 comments
I saw one of the trains they’re testing it on today and it sounds horrible. Too high pitch and invasive. Something like the sound that plays before an announcement about a service interruption would be better.
While on the Metro later in the day, a recording was played telling passengers to not hold the door open as it delays service.
Forget just the blind, the system was hard enough to navigate as a tourist. And that was as a transit fan – I was fine on the trains, but the stations were daunting.
They should just use the “Booooooooooooop” that Paris’s Line 1 uses when closing it’s doors.