London Overground automated announcements system.
Dear Transport for London,
I would like to ask about the recent change from Amey to Worldline for your automated announcements at London Overground stations. I notice that currently you are in the process of switching. Many stations have already switched.
I would like to ask about the voice. With the new Worldline system you are using Anne Jermy who is a Worldline staff member (not a professional voiceover artist) and is the standard default Worldline voice used on the Worldline system all over the UK.
However on your previous Amey system you used a custom voice. You used Emma Hignett who is a professional voiceover artist (and is also the voice of the London Overground onboard announcements and Elizabeth Line onboard announcements and iBus and iBoat too) rather than using the standard default Amey voice.
So i would would like to know did you have an option to use a custom voice and continue using Emma Hignett on the new Worldline system just like you did with the Amey system? If so then why did you not choose this option? I would like to know if there is a particular reason why you went for the standard default voice instead?
Thank you very much.
Yours faithfully,
Douglas Robinson
Dear Mr Robinson
TfL Ref: 3419-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27 December 2023. Please accept my apologies for the delay in acknowledging your correspondence.
We will aim to issue a response by 25 January 2024 in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.
We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.
We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.
In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
Dear Mr Robinson
TfL Ref: FOI-3419-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 25
December 2023.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I
can confirm we do hold the information you require.
For Amey, a professional voice over artist was always used for their
system and therefore all the voice segments needed to construct the
announcements were used by the same person. The Worldline system is
already in use on the London Overground (LO) network for services from
London Liverpool Street to Enfield/Cheshunt and Chingford. It is also in
use between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays. Therefore, as we swap
systems from Amey to Worldline, it was assumed that LO will use the same
voice that is in use on the Worldline system.
Please let me know if this is not the information you are looking for, or
if you are unable to access it for some reason.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached
information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
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