The woman behind the gentle, even voice which warns London's subway commuters to "mind the gap" was fired after telling a newspaper she thought the transit network was dreadful.
Emma Clarke, 36, has been recording messages for London's sprawling subway network, popularly known as the Tube, since 1999.
In addition to warning passengers to mind the gap between subway cars and the platform, she also reads off the trains' stops, tells Londoners how long they have to wait until their next ride and delivers service updates.
PHOTO: EPA
Transport for London, the body responsible for running the subway, said that Clarke was fired for telling the Mail on Sunday she avoided using the subway whenever possible.
"The thought of being stuck in the Tube with strangers for minutes on end and having to listen to endless repeated messages of my own voice fills me with horror," she told the paper.
She said using the service every day had been "dreadful." The paper also featured Clarke's Web site, which hosts a series of spoof Tube announcements, including one warning a passenger not to stare at a woman's chest and another telling American tourists "you are almost certainly talking too loud."
Transport for London said it was relaxed about the spoof announcements, noting that some of them were quite funny. But spokesman Dan Hodges said Clarke's attack on the subway itself had crossed the line.
"We wouldn't employ somebody to promote our services who simultaneously criticizes those services," Hodges said.
But Clarke's voice will continue to fill London's subway cars until a replacement is needed, Hodges said.
Clarke's page may be viewed at http://www.emmaclarke.com/. (ap)
以輕柔平和聲音警告乘客「注意間隙」的倫敦地鐵女廣播員，因為告訴報社她覺得倫敦地鐵很可怕，而遭到解雇。
現年三十六歲的艾瑪．克拉克，自一九九九年以來，一直替倫敦錯綜複雜的地鐵錄製廣播訊息。
除了警告乘客注意列車和月台間隙外，她也會廣播列車停靠、告知乘客下班列車時刻，以及提供最新服務消息。
負責地鐵營運的倫敦交通局表示，克拉克是因為告訴《週日郵報》，她都盡可能避免搭乘地下鐵，而遭到解雇。
「一想到要和陌生人一起擠在地鐵裡連續好幾分鐘，並且還要聽自己的聲音無止盡的播放，真是十分可怕，」她告訴郵報。
她說，每天坐地鐵實在令人「害怕」。這家郵報也介紹了克拉克的網站，該網站上有一系列她錄製的地鐵戲謔廣播，其中有一則是警告乘客不要盯著婦女的胸部看，還有一則是告訴美國觀光客「你們講話的音量，幾乎可以確定太大聲了。」
倫敦交通局表示，網站上的戲謔廣播，他們輕鬆看待，因為有些戲謔廣播相當好笑。但發言人丹．哈吉斯說，克拉克對地鐵系統本身的言詞攻擊已經越軌了。
「我們不會雇用任何會同時宣傳和批評地鐵服務的人，」哈吉斯說。
但是克拉克的廣播會持續在倫敦地鐵列車上播放，直到必須要替換掉為止，哈吉斯說。
克拉克的網頁為：http://www.emmaclarke.com/（美聯社／翻譯：楊鴻泰）
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