THEY range from the irritating to the inspired, but rail staff are being told to cut back on intercom announcements. They have been issued guidelines warning: “If you don’t need to say it, then don’t.” Some travellers say they enjoy some announcements as an informative or entertaining diversion to their journey.

One London Underground driver has been said to greet people boarding at Heathrow with the booming refrain, “Welcome back to life in the fast lane”, just before his train hurtles off into the tunnel.

Other commuters, however, are fed up with the “communication frenzy” and South West Trains has told staff to think twice before announcing. London Underground also announced last week it is curbing bulletins that “do not relate” to journeys.

According to Going Underground, a website that collects announcements, passengers at Holborn station waiting to board a train were told: “This is a train. Get on it. Go home. See you Monday.”

Another announcer at Baker Street warned: “The Bakerloo line is running normally today, so you may expect delays to all destinations.”

Some drivers use announcements to put passengers at ease. One driver said: “Hello. I am the captain of your train, and we will be departing shortly, we will be cruising at an altitude of approximately zero feet, and our scheduled arrival time in Morden is 3.15pm. The temperature in Morden is approximately 15C, and Morden is in the same time zone as Mill Hill East, so there’s no need to adjust your watches.”

Passengers on many overground lines object to the proliferation in information bulletins. They complain that electronic announcement systems, station staff, guards, drivers and buffet stewards compete for Tannoy time. Martin Odell, 54, a company secretary, who commutes between Haslemere, in Surrey, and Waterloo, said: “It is a frenzy of communication. There's even an announcement pointing out you can ask the guard questions. Some of these guards seem to think of themselves as DJs.”

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