Talk:Train melody

Research

 * Japanese Train Departure Melodies: news, books, scholar, web.

Article name
I initially used "train melody", but we'll leave the official name open until we figure out what the topic likely is called in the U.S. Mailer Diablo noted "It's Departure Melody (発車メロディ, or Hasha Melody, Train Melody, Departure Jingle) in Japan. If you have travelled on any Japanese railways before, you would probably heard a song, tune or melody before train doors close and moving off. In other countries, operators usually use a buzzer to warn passengers of departing trains. (Tip : Use a translator!)." -- Suntag  ☼  15:24, 1 December 2008 (UTC)


 * I didn't see anything at Glossary of rail terminology. -- Suntag  ☼  15:59, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

General comments
This article was initiated as a result of DYKs first Main Page hits contest. Initially, this seemed like a difficult topic since the references likely are in Japanese. On thinking about it, the melody conveys information to humans that allows them to make decisions. I used to work at McDonalds and they use different ding sounds to convey information to humans that allows them to make decisions (" 'Ding!' The Frys are done.") There probably is a general scientific area concerning this topic (please find the name) as it relates to trains or perhaps transportation. I know that New York, Washington, D.C, and Chicago transit use music to signal arrival and departure, so someone somewhere must have written a study on the topic in English. I posted a request to have the Japanese article translated at Translation/Departure Melody. -- Suntag  ☼  15:24, 1 December 2008 (UTC)
 * From my short look into the matter, the scope of the topic appears to train arrival/departure music, sound, tone, melody directed at people on and around the train. The first such communications probably were voice commands from the conductor or the blowing of the train whistle. Then probably came monotones, then melodies that were based on the five aspects of ergonomics. Once we figure out what this is called in English speaking countries, we then may find scholarly papers on the topic. -- Suntag  ☼  19:28, 1 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, I've found a tempting-looking abstract... but no more than this seems to be available online, sadly.  Hassocks  5489 (tickets please!)  20:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Anecdotal stuff about Britain
Following on from Suntag's second paragraph under the "General comments" heading: in my extensive experience of travelling by rail in Britain, I can't think of anything analogous to the train melody. At larger stations, when a train is ready to depart, some or all of the following will take place:
 * "Train ready to start" plunger pressed by platform staff: this gives a signal to the driver and/or conductor
 * Whistle blown by platform staff and/or conductor
 * Automatic doors will close following 4-5 seconds of rapid bleeping
 * Flag, baton or lamp waved by platform staff to signify safe departure

Passenger information systems only announce details about upcoming services ("the train now standing at Platform 2 is the 0730 service to Brighton..."). The only melody-type thing I have ever heard is the "fast train approaching" sound used by some Train Operating Companies here, where the loudspeakers play a strident, four-note ascending chime.

So the Japanese "model" has evolved completely differently, which suggests it might be worthwhile searching for any comparative studies, analysis etc. Even if train melodies are not their main focus, they may mention them in passing. Hassocks 5489 (tickets please!)  20:37, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Anecdotal stuff about Canada
Many trains of the Montreal metro happen to have a now iconic three-notes chime that is actually a sideproduct of some electrical equipment at startup. It's briefly discussed in the Montreal Metroarticle. Circeus (talk) 20:52, 2 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Japan did have a similiar counterpart, "music-by-propulsion". But I'm not sure if it is supposed to be a separate topic or be combined together with this one. - Mailer Diablo 10:51, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

South Korea
South Korea has now implimented these on a couple of its metro systems. In practice, a secondary function of the Japanese themes is to cue sleeping passengers to awaken at their stop, or one prior. The Korean ones tend to fulfill this role as they are played to passengers IN the carriages to herald the arrival at a given station. Most significantly exceed 7 seconds.
 * Busan Metro (Humetro) has a generic theme for important stations, as well as a rather cheerful theme with lyrics for transfer stations. Haeundae Station is the only one on the network with a unique theme (actually just seagulls squawking).
 * Daejeon Metro (DJET) has no generic melodies, but has two stations with unique themes to wake passengers. Daejeon, the central station plays a retro (trot?) theme, and the World Cup Stadium station plays what appears to be a snippet from the 2002 FIFA World Cup theme for South Korea. City Hall station also experimented with a militariaesque themesong for some time in 2011.
 * Seoul Metro is a special case being a mess of Korail-owned, city-owned and private-owned lines. However, as of late 2011, a fanfare plays on the platform (not in the carriages) similarly to a Japanese train meoldy when a train is arriving on the Korail lines. The fanfare is always the same and is approximately 7 seconds long.
 * The KTX has a pair of generic themes played in the carriages. One to herald the arrival at a given stop and another at the end of a given line.
 * Various ticketed Korail lines (those disconnected from Seoul Metro) have end of the line themesongs. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.148.209.82 (talk) 09:29, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Urban metro jingles
Budapest and Stockholm have brief melodies or jingles that play on arrival and/or departure of their metros. The Budapest jingle can be heard at .CharlesHBennett (talk) 21:57, 22 March 2015 (UTC)