If you’ve ever noticed Embankment station’s announcement is different to the rest, well there’s a reason – as a viral Twitter thread recently

The Christmas story of one tube station's 'Mind the Gap' voice

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2024-12-21 09:30:04

If you’ve ever noticed Embankment station’s announcement is different to the rest, well there’s a reason – as a viral Twitter thread recently retold

I f you happen to find yourself at Embankment station on the London Underground, pay particular attention to the tannoy: the station’s “Mind the Gap” announcement is pronounced in rich, theatrical tones, a voice you won’t hear elsewhere on the network.

The reason for that is touching – a story of love and loss that went viral recently when it was retold in a Twitter thread by John Bull, AKA @garius, erstwhile contributor to this site and editor of the London Reconnections blog that covers transport in impressively entertaining detail, and is well worth following if you’re a fan of the kind of stories we tell at Guardian Cities.

Bull writes: “Just before Christmas 2012, staff at Embankment Tube station were approached by a woman who was very upset. She kept asking them where the voice had gone. They weren’t sure what she meant. The Voice? The voice, she said. The man who says ‘Mind the Gap’.”