window.dotcom = window.dotcom || { cmd: [] }; window.dotcom.ads = window.dotcom.ads || { resolves: {enabled: [], getAdTag: []}, enabled: () => new Promise(r => window.dotcom.ads.resolves.enabled.push(r)), getAdTag: () => new Promise(r => window.dotcom.ads.resolves.getAdTag.push(r)) }; setTimeout(() => { if(window.dotcom.ads.resolves){ window.dotcom.ads.resolves.enabled.forEach(r => r(false)); window.dotcom.ads.resolves.getAdTag.forEach(r => r("")); window.dotcom.ads.enabled = () => new Promise(r => r(false)); window.dotcom.ads.getAdTag = () => new Promise(r => r("")); console.error("NGAS load timeout"); } }, 5000)
Skip to content

'Give it time' - ScotRail defends AI announcer Iona

Jamie Russell
BBC Scotland News
ReadSpeaker An AI-generated image of the imagined woman behind the synthetic voice used on ScotRail trains. The woman has long red hair and wears a brown scarf and a green coat. She is stood against a blurred background that looks like the Scottish outdoors with the shadow of mountains and moorland. The image is AI generated and not realReadSpeaker
An AI-generated image of the imagined woman behind the synthetic voice used on ScotRail trains

engers on ScotRail trains have been noticing a new voice announcing the station arrivals and some have not been pleased.

The new announcer, called Iona, has recently taken over on some routes but unlike her predecessors she is not real.

Previously announcements were pre-recorded by a Scottish voice artist but Iona is a synthetic voice which uses an AI model to deliver typed messages in a "Scottish accent".

ScotRail urged engers to "give it time and it may grow on you".

engers react to AI voice for ScotRail train announcements

It said tricky place names such as Milngavie and Achnasheen are inputted phonetically as "Mill-guy" and "Akna-sheen" to help the software avoid embarrassing mistakes.

Although the technology has not yet been fully implemented, some engers have already voiced their unhappiness with the change.

One enger told the BBC Scotland: "It was weird. I could tell it was AI because it sounded so robotic."

Another posted on X that the voice sounds unsure of what it is saying and questions everything.

One enger described it as an "AI lassie" that was "so horrible and unnatural".

In response, ScotRail said: "Sorry you're not a fan. I love the new voice but appreciate it may not to be everyone's liking. Give it time and it may grow on you."

A blue ScotRail train in Glasgow Central at an unspecified platform.
'Iona' was first trialled on a select few trains in July 2024

The new announcer was developed by global technology company, ReadSpeaker, which has over 50 language iterations of its text-to-speech software.

The team also AI-generated an image that matched the name Iona to feature on their website.

The end result is a red-haired woman wearing a woolly orange scarf and green jacket stood in the middle of a Scottish glen.

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and 
 before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and 
 before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and 
 before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The technology means drivers or operators can type customised announcements on a computer and Iona then reads them out.

The first service featuring Iona was trialled quietly in July 2024, but a recent extension of the technology has led to more engers noticing the change.

Currently only certain services from Glasgow's train stations feature the technology.

Among the first engers to notice the change are on the Glasgow Central services to Ayr, Largs, Ardorssan, Barrhead and Paisley.

From Glasgow Queen Street, Iona has been heard on trains bound for Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen.

This system is only used on ScotRail trains and will not include stations.

A blue sign with a yellow stripe at the bottom for 'Glasgow Central' inside of the station.
The synthetic voice can be heard on selected services - including from Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street.

'Replacing real humans'

Rachel Nicholson, a voice coach and former actress based in Edinburgh, said replacing human announcers with an AI voices affects both jobs and identity.

"It's really sad that they want to replace real humans and put them out of work," she said.

"Just because it saves money doesn't mean it's the right thing to do."

Rachel has spent more than 15 years working in the creative industries and said the topic of AI voices is often a tricky one in her world.

"It's a bit taboo, honestly," she said.

"This is a real voice, a human voice, being replaced that was doing a perfectly good job."

On the left, Rachel looks into the camera. She has grey wavy hair, and is wearing a mid-blue top underneath a copper-brown cardigan. In the background on her right there is a blue and yellow ScotRail train.
Voice coach Rachel thinks real Scottish talent should be prioritised over AI

Rachel said the new ScotRail voice is clear and easy to understand but questioned whether clarity was enough.

"They're clearly struggling with some of our more unique names like the 'ch' in 'loch'.

"If someone's travelling around Scotland, don't we want them to hear those names said the way we actually say them":[]}