We apologise for the delay…
Formal Polite
What it really means
The standard announcement when a train is late, often followed by a reason: "signal failure", "a person on the track", "awaiting a crew member". British passengers respond with sighs and dark humour rather than complaints to staff.
Chinese explanation
火车晚点时的标准致歉广播，后面常跟原因："信号故障"、"有人进入轨道"、"等候司乘人员"等。英国乘客的反应通常是叹气和自嘲式吐槽，而不是找工作人员发火。
Example conversation
A: We apologise for the delay to this service, which is due to a signal failure outside Croydon.
B: A signal failure. It is always a signal failure.
A：本次列车晚点，原因是克罗伊登附近信号故障，我们深表歉意。
B：信号故障，永远都是信号故障。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
Related phrases
Official sources
Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.
All Transport
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake