Northern yet to fix Aspatria mispronunciation

Northern has been unable to confirm how many station pronunciations have been updated across its network

A train operator has been criticised for continuing to mispronounce a station name six months after re-recording its announcements.

Northern said in August it had re-done 34 place names after coming under fire from passengers over years of errors.

However, Aspatria, in Cumbria, is still being announced 'As-spat-ria' rather than 'As-spay-tria'.

Northern said it was aiming to complete the roll-out of its updates by the "summer".

Last year the train firm asked people across its network for help after an initial attempt to correct long-standing mispronunciations failed.

It then revealed it had re-recorded 34 names and would roll them out across its 345-train fleet.

However, when approached by the BBC, the firm was unable to confirm how many have been implemented in the subsequent six months.

Software updates for onboard systems are carried out manually by engineers when trains undergo routine servicing.

'Just grateful for a train'

Users of the line between Carlisle and locations along the Cumbrian coast say Aspatria is still not being pronounced as it should be.

One passenger said it was "really noticeable" but added "the service is so unreliable, we're just grateful when the trains are running".

Aspatria mayor Alan Maxwell said he would "like to see it fixed if possible".

"In local dialect, people call the town 'Spyat-ree', but the correct pronunciation is 'As-spay-tria'. To have it right [on the trains] would be nice."

Northern confirmed Aspatria was one of the re-recordings done last year "as part of a programme to ensure our onboard announcements respected local pronunciation".

A spokesman claimed the roll-out "continues apace, with the process due for completion by the summer".

The names re-recorded last year were:

• Accrington

• Ardwick

• Ashburys

• Aspatria

• Barnsley

• Barrow-in-Furness

• Bentham

• Burneside

• Cark-in-Cartmel

• Chesterfield

• Dodworth

• Doncaster

• Dore & Totley

• Elsecar

• Euxton Balshaw Lane

• Gathurst

• Hall i' th' Wood

• Handforth

• Heighington

• Hessle

• Ilkeston

• Kirkham and Wesham

• Langwathby

• Lazonby & Kirkoswald

• Lostock Gralam

• Mossley Hill

• Redcar

• Roose

• Slaithwaite

• South Elmsall

• Sowerby Bridge

• Thurnscoe

• Todmorden

• Wombwell