A new voice is now being heard on ScotRail’s Class 380 electric units as they prepare to undertake passenger services on the East Kilbride line for the first time.

The new automated onboard announcements, which are replacing the ‘Iona’ announcements, have been recorded by ScotRail employee Vannessa Sloan, whose voice is already used to report real-time announcements to passengers at Paisley.

Vanessa undertook 18 separate recording sessions with technology company ReadSpeaker to voice several announcements which will be used across the network. Recording everything from train announcements, station names, some with difficult pronunciation, to security messages.

Thousands of words and sentences go into creating automated announcements on trains and at stations. With text-to-speech (TTS) technology, these announcements can be delivered clearly and correctly in a natural tone for customers to listen to.

The train announcements that have been recorded will also be rolled out across other trains in Scotland in 2026. While ScotRail has used automated announcements for many years, the change to the existing voice that delivers these messages will bring a modern feel to the ScotRail network and its services.

“Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so it’s fitting that the new voice of ScotRail comes from within our own team.

Vannessa is already a trusted and familiar voice for customers at stations, and we’re delighted that her voice is now part of the announcements that will be made on our Class 380 trains.

Working with ReadSpeaker, we’ve created an announcement system that’s modern, reliable, and ethically produced.

“The use of an automated voice allows us to have more control over the announcements being made, ensures consistency for customers, and gives us flexibility to make changes at short notice.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director