S Stock Programmable Announcements

I have a feeling that the network announcements on the Victoria Line are sent to the trains from the line control centre itself, It would appear that the S stock may have this but the different control centres on the H&C, DIST & Met Lines are unable to communicate with the trains in the same way, maybe because of interunning fleets, or the control centres do not have the correct equipment yet to keep the trains updated.
Yes I think basic additional messaging is programmable by the operator if needs be on all stocks if they know how it is done,

There is now a single control room for the sub-surface Lines and they do indeed compile programmable messages to S Stock (such as today stating that St. James’s Park station is closed all day).
Drivers have a selection of pre-recorded announcements available to them on S Stock, from “the next station is closed”, “beggars and buskers are not permitted on TfL trains and stations” etc.

This is a huge subject and to be perfectly honest I do not have the time to type it all out.


2 points though, with lots of TLAs.


Since May 2018 (5 years ago now) all SSL have been in one Control Room as far as service management and line control are concerned. This was 4LM migration step SLC moving both Earls Court and Baker Street service managers and line information specialists (LIS) all to Hammersmith SCC. SLC predated any CBTC migration i.e. before any SMA and before any signallers moved. It is the LIS who does the variable / manual info using ICS.


In Hammersmith SCC there is a central SSL system known as ICS. It does more than train info (but no digression here). The reason for any variation between different days disruptions are :
[1] no two days disruptions are ever exactly the same therefore no days announcements are the same
[2] there is a comprehensive library of pre-recorded announcement text strings that if the LIS inputs into ICS a disruption between ANY two stations ANYWHERE on the LU network simply by clicking on those two stations creates automated full announcements texts to go to SSL stations or S trains as necessary; these are computed automatically to vary for where on the railway (train or station) they are to be sent; input a slighty different station pair, or different disruption reason, and some quite different announcements might be generated
[3] LIS can alternatively manually type into CIS bespoke messages that are sent likewise; obviously exact wording varies from exact disruption event to event, and, being human, LIS to LIS
ICS is independent of CBTC SMA nor is ICS is part of CBTC; ICS is SSL wide; however although it has always been 4LM wide, it was not functionally all ready at SLC, it was phased over time, phases not linked to SMA migration calendar; and CIS is independent of the train borne driver selected fixed info texts held on S-stock itself

SLC = Service and Line Control (a project specific TLA)

ICS = Integrated Communications System (and it does a lot more than just pass. info.)

What the 'S' stands for is debatable. I've heard Signalling, System, Sub-Surface, and Seltrac, all of which could be perfectly valid.

My personal thought is that it is Sub-Surface, as the Northern Line had NMAs (Northern Migration Areas), though I probably ought to check what the contract documents say it is.
In the old days we would have simply called it Stage 1, 2, 3 etc., which would have been a lot more straightforward!

STAGE perhaps standing for ‘Signalling Transfer And General Enhancement’…😉[/quote]

Signalling Transfer And General Entropy ?

I'm certainly one who thinks announcements about delays somewhat stretch the truth, such as minor delays on the jubilee which leave ten minute gaps between trains at Canary Wharf, London Bridge and Waterloo in the evening peak, but even after 30 years of commuting I was surprised last week to hear on S stock that there were 'minor delays on the Central line due to a derailment'. It's great that the announcements are accurate but I did find that one a bit worrying until I got home and could research what had happened.