On March 10, JR West announced the departure announcements (departure melodies) to be used at each station on the extended section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line (Kanazawa to Tsuruga) scheduled to open in 2023.
Requests municipalities to select and provide departure warning sounds for each
The idea of preparing a unique departure announcement sound for each station was proposed by JR West to the local governments along the line, and was realized in response to their proposal. The selection of composers and music was also done by the local governments. Therefore, it seems that each municipality has its own ideas regarding the selection of composers and songs. As a result, in some cases, the music was composed by local composers.
However, from the standpoint of JR West, which is actually in charge of train operations, the song could not fulfill its intended function if it were too long or too short because of its use as a warning sound for train departures. Therefore, a guideline of about 15 seconds was set for the length of the song.
They also set a guideline for the frequency. The music had to be easy to hear when played through the speakers installed on the station platform, otherwise it would not be able to fulfill its function as a train departure warning sound. This would have required a sound range that was not biased toward high or low tones, and that matched the capabilities of the speakers.
The description of the departure announcements for each station, along with the station’s exterior perspective, is taken from the handout provided by JR West. The lineup is as follows.
© Source travel watch