God, that's annoying. I also hate recorded messages played over the PA with the woman (and it's always, always a woman) saying "I am sorry, but [such-and-such] isn't working..." - as if a recorded voice on hard disk somewhere is capable of expressing personal regret about something.
Yeah, it normally just makes you think that if First Capital Connect really experience deep personal regret every time their delays cause someone 'inconvenience', then they'd stop it happening so often that it requires a prerecorded message.
The other thing that really winds me up is that in the midst of the entire fucking rail network collapsing they still keep playing the annoying officious announcements about not smoking or cycling or skating or whatever, just so that you're reminded every three minutes for the fucking hour that you're stood around being pissed off that although they fuck up their actual function on a weekly basis, nothing short of all out nuclear war could stop them being small minded and officious.
In fact, I'm now imagining a survivor in a post-apocalyptic london, walking between the flattened buildings and still smouldering fires eventually coming to a tall post, smoke blackened but still standing, from which hangs a single loudspeaker.
"We regret to announce that the 12:15 to Hertford North has been delayed by approximately - fivethousandtwohundredandfortyseven - minutes. First Capital Connect would like to apologize for the late running of this service."
He stops, aghast at this message from a world that he's almost forgotten.
"We would like to remind customers that it is against the law to ride a bicycle, rollerskate or skateboard anywhere on this station. It may be dangerous, and IS illegal."