The next station is Eglinton...

December 7, 2006 - Another example of how I get excited over the littlest thing:

On my way home on the subway tonight, I heard something that I thought was long overdue: automated stop announcements. Now this isn't exactly the most innovative thing (I mean, could we be one of the few mass transit systems in the western world that still do not a computer announcing stops?) and I know that a computer has been announcing stops on the Sheppard line for years, but to finally hear it on the very busy Yonge line (the backbone of our transit system) was pretty cool.

For those who have yet to hear it, the voice is that of a woman's, who simply announces stops in the following fashion: "The next stop is Eglinton. Eglinton Station is next..." and then when the train approaches the station: "Approaching Eglinton Station..." Nothing fancy, nothing unique - but makes such a big difference (compared to the usual grumpy mumble that we get from the train conductors). Having clear stop announcements will not only benefit those who are visually impaired, but will also be great for tourists, sleepy riders, and people who don't pay attention to when they need to get off the train!

Could this be our first baby step towards making our subway system world-class again?