Too many announcements on the train, people protest

Traveling by train should be a moment of tranquility. But in Italy, too often, it's the exact opposite. There's still no real awareness of the problem of noise pollution on public transport. Yet, excessive noise, especially when unnecessary or poorly managed, significantly impacts passengers' mental and physical well-being. On Italian trains, this translates into journeys where comfort seems like an unattainable luxury. The situation becomes even more frustrating in the early morning hours, when those who take the train often do so to rest, read, or calmly prepare for the day. Instead, they find themselves bombarded by continuous, loud announcements, often repeated multiple times. Added to this are piercing acoustic sounds, as annoying as they are incomprehensible in their actual purpose. A prime example is that of train 21096 on July 24th. The train departed ten minutes late, but instead of limiting itself to essential communications, passengers were bombarded by a barrage of announcements regarding route changes and additional stops, punctuated by a repetitive, unnerving beeping sound. That noise, the train conductor explained, was the alarm repeatedly activated by a child who, playfully, kept pressing an onboard button. A detail that, beyond the unintentional irony, raises serious questions about the management of the devices and the ease with which they can disrupt an entire carriage. (The problem was further exacerbated by an unexpected stop shortly after departure, as reported by several commuters.) It's clear that the problem isn't just technical, but cultural. In other countries, onboard communication is calibrated, sounds are muffled, and the idea of unnecessarily disturbing passengers is carefully avoided. Here, however, the impact of noise tends to be underestimated, treating it as a secondary issue. Until a true culture of noise reduction develops, we will continue to travel on trains where even a delay becomes an opportunity for disturbance. And where comfort—which should be the norm—remains a distant achievement.