Train melody
A train melody is a succession of musically expressive tones played when a train is arriving at or about to depart from a train station.[1] In Japan, departing train melodies are arranged to invoke a feeling of relief in a train passenger after sitting down and moving with the departing train.[1] In contrast, arriving train melodies are configured to cause alertness, such as to help travelers shake off sleepiness experienced by morning commuters.[1]
Characteristics[edit]
Originally, the melodies used on Japan's railways sounded more like alarms. However, since the 1990s more attention has been paid to creating tunes which fulfil several criteria: clearly marking a train's arrival and departure, encouraging timely but unhurried boarding and disembarking, making passengers feel calm and relaxed, and standing out above announcements and other noise.[10] Railway companies have established that the ideal length of a train melody, based on the typical dwell time of a train at a station, is seven seconds—so many tunes are designed to fit that length. Hundreds of different melodies—most written specifically for the railways—exist, and many stations or routes have their own characteristic tunes.[10]
Reception[edit]
Train melodies have proved to be popular with many people in Japan, with the term oto-tetsu being used to describe Japanese railfans who have a particular enthusiasm for them.[11] Train carriage and rolling stock manufacturer Nippon Sharyo received permission to use four different train melodies owned by East Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company;[1] and in August 2002 the company released an alarm clock that plays the same lilting melodies heard on Japan's high-speed railway lines.[1] One tune is designed to invoke the relief a train passenger experiences after sitting down and moving with a departing train,[1] and another is intended to reduce sleepiness, such as that experienced by morning commuters.[1] By September 2002, Nippon Sharyo had sold out the first shipment of 2,000 units, priced at 5,800 yen.[1] In view of the success of the product, the company launched a website dedicated to the clock, featuring the Shinkansen train's melodies.[1] Other companies have manufactured keyrings and straps featuring the tunes.[12]
There has also been criticism over the use of melodies on trains and at stations. These focus mainly on noise pollution and the tunes' contribution to it; but one author has also claimed that their use is symptomatic of a paternalistic, bureaucratic attitude towards passengers from the railway authorities, similar to the excessive use of announcements and warnings.[10]
Application[edit]
In France[edit]
SNCF in France uses a jingle by Michaël Boumendil: