(splitted off from the MRT/LRT news thread)
In my opinion, train announcements should ideally be in all four languages, but I don't think we need so many different announcements on every single thing - information on train stations, connecting lines, and such should be enough, as well as the occasional security alert announcement.
Here's how I think they could do it (asteriks (*) denote variables, bracketed words (example) are optional):
Station announcements:
"*. Doors on the * will open. *. * 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Braddell. Doors on the left will open. 布莱德.左边的车门将会打开. [Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Stations with cross-platform interchange:
"* Interchange. Passengers may alight and transfer for a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform. Doors on the * will open. * 转换站.乘客可在本站的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务.* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "City Hall Interchange. Passengers may alight and transfer for an East-West Line train service towards Pasir Ris via Bugis. Doors on the left will open. 政府大厦转换站.乘客可在本站的对面月台转搭经武吉士到巴西立的东西线列车服务.左边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For stations with cross-platform interchanges on both sides of the train (i.e. Jurong East for North-South Line, Tanah Merah for Changi Airport Shuttle):
"* Interchange. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers may transfer to a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform to the left, and to a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform to the right. *转换站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.乘客可在左边的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务,或在右边的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Jurong East Interchange. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers may transfer to a East-West Line train service towards Pasir Ris via Raffles Place on the opposite platform to the left, and to a East-West Line train service towards Joo Koon on the opposite platform to the right. 裕廊东转换站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.乘客可在左边的对面月台转搭经莱佛士坊到巴西立的东西线列车服务,或在右边的对面月台转搭到裕群的东西线列车服务.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Interchanges without cross-platform transfers:
"* Interchange. Passengers may transfer to the * Line at this station. Doors on the * will open. *转换站.乘客可在本站转搭*线的列车.* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. Passengers may transfer to the North-East Line and Circle Line at this station. Doors on the right will open. 多美歌转换站.乘客可在本站转搭东北线或环线的列车服务.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Terminals: "* (Terminal). This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. (Passengers travelling beyond this station, please wait for the next train.) Doors on the * will open. *(终站).本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.(想前往本站之外的乘客,请等下一列列车服务.)* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Examples: "Marina Bay Terminal. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Doors on the right will open. 滨海湾终站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
"Yishun. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers travelling beyond this station, please wait for the next train. Doors on the right will open. 义顺.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.想前往本站之外的乘客,请等下一列列车服务.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For station announcements, rather than just telling passengers to stand behind the yellow line, tell them where the train service is terminating too (got this idea from watching videos of Hong Kong's ex-KCR lines). For example:
"The train towards Yishun is approaching platform A. For your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line. 前往义顺的列车将抵达A号月台.为了您自己的安全,请站在黄线后面.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
And for non-stop trains:
"A non-stop train will be passing through platform A. For your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line. 不停站列车将经过A号月台.为了您自己的安全,请站在黄线后面.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For trains that will stop but not pick up passengers (test trains, etc.):
"The train at platform B is not for passenger service. Please wait for the next passenger service train. 在B号月台的列车是不载乘客的. 请等下一趟可载乘客的列车服务. [Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
As for messages asking you to mind the platform gap, the SMRT bus route 950 advertisement, etc., all these should be dropped. The announcements regarding platform gaps are rather superflous on our MRT system, which has very narrow platform gaps and no curved platforms, where gaps could be wider. As well, in the early days of the MRT (when gaps on surface and elevated stations were wider), there weren't any such announcements and things got along well (even more smoothly than today, if you ask me).
The door closing announcement should also be dropped, in favour of just a simple buzzer; 2 seconds before the doors begin to close, the buzzer will begin to sound, after which the doors will begin to close. When the door closes, the buzzer stops. This is a throwback to the early days when there is only a door closing chime to warn of the doors closing (which can still be heard sometimes - I took a refurbished C151 train a few months back, and the train driver used the chime in addition to the door closing announcement). The buzzer is more universal than having to announce a message in multiple languages, and also solves the problem of not having enough time to cycle through all the languages.
As for "emergency" messages (eg. break of service, emergency evacuation, etc.), these should also ideally be pre-recorded in all four languages as well.
To those who argue that announcements in one language is enough, you have to realise that, apart from station names, there are still a significant number of Singaporeans who use the MRT and who doesn't speak English that well (if at all) and hence can't really understand the English announcements - my own mother being one of them. Announcements in all four languages not only for station names, but for other information as well, will go a long way in guiding them how to better use the system.
In my opinion, train announcements should ideally be in all four languages, but I don't think we need so many different announcements on every single thing - information on train stations, connecting lines, and such should be enough, as well as the occasional security alert announcement.
Here's how I think they could do it (asteriks (*) denote variables, bracketed words (example) are optional):
Station announcements:
"*. Doors on the * will open. *. * 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Braddell. Doors on the left will open. 布莱德.左边的车门将会打开. [Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Stations with cross-platform interchange:
"* Interchange. Passengers may alight and transfer for a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform. Doors on the * will open. * 转换站.乘客可在本站的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务.* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "City Hall Interchange. Passengers may alight and transfer for an East-West Line train service towards Pasir Ris via Bugis. Doors on the left will open. 政府大厦转换站.乘客可在本站的对面月台转搭经武吉士到巴西立的东西线列车服务.左边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For stations with cross-platform interchanges on both sides of the train (i.e. Jurong East for North-South Line, Tanah Merah for Changi Airport Shuttle):
"* Interchange. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers may transfer to a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform to the left, and to a * Line train service towards * (via *) on the opposite platform to the right. *转换站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.乘客可在左边的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务,或在右边的对面月台转搭(经*)到*的*线列车服务.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Jurong East Interchange. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers may transfer to a East-West Line train service towards Pasir Ris via Raffles Place on the opposite platform to the left, and to a East-West Line train service towards Joo Koon on the opposite platform to the right. 裕廊东转换站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.乘客可在左边的对面月台转搭经莱佛士坊到巴西立的东西线列车服务,或在右边的对面月台转搭到裕群的东西线列车服务.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Interchanges without cross-platform transfers:
"* Interchange. Passengers may transfer to the * Line at this station. Doors on the * will open. *转换站.乘客可在本站转搭*线的列车.* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Example: "Dhoby Ghaut Interchange. Passengers may transfer to the North-East Line and Circle Line at this station. Doors on the right will open. 多美歌转换站.乘客可在本站转搭东北线或环线的列车服务.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Terminals: "* (Terminal). This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. (Passengers travelling beyond this station, please wait for the next train.) Doors on the * will open. *(终站).本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.(想前往本站之外的乘客,请等下一列列车服务.)* 边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
Examples: "Marina Bay Terminal. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Doors on the right will open. 滨海湾终站.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
"Yishun. This train service terminates at this station. All passengers please alight. Passengers travelling beyond this station, please wait for the next train. Doors on the right will open. 义顺.本列车服务将在本站终止服务.所有乘客请在本站下车.想前往本站之外的乘客,请等下一列列车服务.右边的车门将会打开.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For station announcements, rather than just telling passengers to stand behind the yellow line, tell them where the train service is terminating too (got this idea from watching videos of Hong Kong's ex-KCR lines). For example:
"The train towards Yishun is approaching platform A. For your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line. 前往义顺的列车将抵达A号月台.为了您自己的安全,请站在黄线后面.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
And for non-stop trains:
"A non-stop train will be passing through platform A. For your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line. 不停站列车将经过A号月台.为了您自己的安全,请站在黄线后面.[Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
For trains that will stop but not pick up passengers (test trains, etc.):
"The train at platform B is not for passenger service. Please wait for the next passenger service train. 在B号月台的列车是不载乘客的. 请等下一趟可载乘客的列车服务. [Malay equivalent]. [Tamil equivalent]"
As for messages asking you to mind the platform gap, the SMRT bus route 950 advertisement, etc., all these should be dropped. The announcements regarding platform gaps are rather superflous on our MRT system, which has very narrow platform gaps and no curved platforms, where gaps could be wider. As well, in the early days of the MRT (when gaps on surface and elevated stations were wider), there weren't any such announcements and things got along well (even more smoothly than today, if you ask me).
The door closing announcement should also be dropped, in favour of just a simple buzzer; 2 seconds before the doors begin to close, the buzzer will begin to sound, after which the doors will begin to close. When the door closes, the buzzer stops. This is a throwback to the early days when there is only a door closing chime to warn of the doors closing (which can still be heard sometimes - I took a refurbished C151 train a few months back, and the train driver used the chime in addition to the door closing announcement). The buzzer is more universal than having to announce a message in multiple languages, and also solves the problem of not having enough time to cycle through all the languages.
As for "emergency" messages (eg. break of service, emergency evacuation, etc.), these should also ideally be pre-recorded in all four languages as well.
To those who argue that announcements in one language is enough, you have to realise that, apart from station names, there are still a significant number of Singaporeans who use the MRT and who doesn't speak English that well (if at all) and hence can't really understand the English announcements - my own mother being one of them. Announcements in all four languages not only for station names, but for other information as well, will go a long way in guiding them how to better use the system.