Unsuck DC Metro: Is this the Best Operator in Metro?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Is this the Best Operator in Metro?

Via @brownpau

I hear this guy on the Orange Line from time to time. Does he make it to other lines? Any other candidates for the best voice on Metro?

Other items:
Metrobus accidents on the rise (Examiner)

Comments (58)

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+11 Vote up Vote down

Amy V · 700 weeks ago

He used to be on the Yellow Line on my commute home—I miss him!!

2 replies · active 700 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

Dan Burd · 700 weeks ago

I remember when he used to be on the Yellow Line too. Definitely my favorite operator. Always made people smile or laugh.

+4 Vote up Vote down

K.G. · 700 weeks ago

Yep, told us not to slip on the ice in the middle of summer once. Fantastic.

+11 Vote up Vote down

@jimmytdc · 700 weeks ago

I agree. This guy is great. You can hear him clearly and understand him, and he give good information, especially when there are tourists onboard. Metro needs many more like him.

+20 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 700 weeks ago

Love this guy. But it's even better when he says things like "Ok, right side of the train, let's stand aside and make some room for people getting on. Everybody move on in." and then a couple stops later "Good job, right side. Now left side, see if you can show them how you do it. Make some room for people stepping in by moving to the center of the car."

It's not obnoxious or patronizing. It makes people smile, which is rare.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Just Me · 700 weeks ago

I too like this train operator, glad he is on the Orange line. Its nice when you can understand what they are saying.

+6 Vote up Vote down

CMJ · 700 weeks ago

I've had this guy on Orange Line for a few times at night/during the time. Absolutely the best, ever. And his amusing quips about passengers and doors often change day to day.

+4 Vote up Vote down

anon · 700 weeks ago

omg yes! this guy is my all-time fav operator. I love it when I happen to board his train!

+4 Vote up Vote down

Michael · 700 weeks ago

I've been lucky enough to have this operator quite a few times. Clear, easy to understand, and funny. I used to hear him when my commute took me to Farragut West and it was always a nice start to my day to hear him. Glad he's still out there.

+10 Vote up Vote down

John M · 700 weeks ago

Best operator ever! They need to record this man's voice and use it for the entire system!

+5 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 700 weeks ago

I love this operator! He needs his own fan page on Facebook!

+8 Vote up Vote down

crash · 700 weeks ago

That's awesome! There's a great female operator on the RL in the AMs. She announces the time every 15 minutes, welcomes riders aboard and wishes them a trains with all the old 1000-series cars sandwiched between newer cars on RL remarkably well!

1 reply · active 700 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

@julieminevich · 700 weeks ago

Was going to nominate her as well! She's my favorite metro operator!

+2 Vote up Vote down

Cas · 700 weeks ago

Absolutely the best.

+1 Vote up Vote down

@schrammalot · 700 weeks ago

I've had him on green line before... he was great!

+2 Vote up Vote down

MoCo · 700 weeks ago

I'm pretty sure he was on the Red Line for a while as well. He is awesome!

+4 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 700 weeks ago

this dude rocks. makes my day every time i get him on the orange line (not often enough, sadly). he is hilarious. "if you look toward the front of the train, the doors that will be opening on your right side. right side doors. doors opening on the right siiiiiiideeeeeee."

+1 Vote up Vote down

wesindc · 700 weeks ago

He needs to host a game show! Great voice, I remember him from when I took orange line from Farragut to Rosslyn.

+7 Vote up Vote down

guest · 700 weeks ago

He's also clearly having fun; missed his calling as a radio DJ. The personnel at Metro can be so testy sometimes, so this is welcome.

I guess the nit would be that if you want relative quiet during an otherwise boring commute, then all the talking might irritate you. I guess as long as he isn't giving tours during the above-ground stations, its ok. "On your right, an extremely trafficy I-66. Those of you on the left, can see the metro sub-station.

+4 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 700 weeks ago

Definitely good--I'm surprised he doesn't get in trouble for spending time on the microphone and not monitoring the radio....

My other candidate is a female operator on the Orange Line that I've heard a couple times recently leaving Vienna around 7:49. Every Friday she starts the ride by wishing everyone a "happy, happy, happy, happy Friday." I smile every time I hear that, no matter how the morning started (and if I'm on that train, that means that the morning started late or that I-66 was a mess!).

1 reply · active 700 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Orange line rider · 700 weeks ago

I was going to add her to the list too! She has a cheery voice and starts that end of the week commute off well.

+7 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 700 weeks ago

He's good. I love it when he says "More than one door."

He gets mad at tourists taking pictures when he pulls into a station "The camera flashes blind the operator."

+3 Vote up Vote down

seilens · 700 weeks ago

I heard this guy on the Orange line the other weekend for the first time! At one point the doors closed then bounced open again a couple of times, and he came on the radio with "Passengers, please don't wait until the doors are closing to decide to exit the train. I'd hate to have to take this train out of service..." Definitely brought a smile to my face.

+1 Vote up Vote down

anon · 700 weeks ago

There are many great operators and good voices too but sad to say get a bad rapp. If you "shine" and get great customer comments sonner or later they cut you down if you are not in "the group", [you know what I mean].

2 replies · active 700 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

anon · 700 weeks ago

j j you are part of the problem too. as you know, "..you must believe in slavery" and probably disparate treatment.

0 Vote up Vote down

anon · 700 weeks ago

Theer is a tendancy of hiding customer appreciation write ups if the management doesn't like the employee. My friend showed me where they forgot to give him a customer comment. He never knew a rider wrote in for him, no one bothered to give the notice to him. [he must of not been in the group anon and they did not want him promoted]

+18 Vote up Vote down

J. Jeter · 700 weeks ago

Thank you for making us aware of this terrible aberration in behavior. We will deal with the problem immediately.

+12 Vote up Vote down

hunterworthen · 700 weeks ago

This guy even makes going to Rosslyn sound erotic and exciting. I'm suddenly turned on by thought of entering the Commonwealth of Virginia.

+6 Vote up Vote down

mike · 700 weeks ago

Anyone heard the one Red Line driver that talks like a robot?

"THE NEXT STA-TION IS.........VAN-NESS......UNIVERS-I-TY OF THE DIS-TRICT OF COL-UM-BI-A"

4 replies · active 700 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Frequent red-liner · 700 weeks ago

I think I know who you are talking about, this operator was a guy. He sounded like an automated recording, as if he worked so hard to get all the words right. Unfortunately I exited the train before he reached Judiciary Square. Think that one would have been interesting.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 700 weeks ago

There's a woman who talks like a robot on the Blue Line some afternoons.

THEE...NEXT...STAY...SHUN...IS..PENT..AGON..CITY......

Very annoying. But strangely funny sometimes.

+1 Vote up Vote down

lsb · 700 weeks ago

Yes! She did evenings on the Green line a while back and it was the bane of my existence. NEXT STOP IS AR. CHIVES. NA-VY ME. MOR. IAL. I seriously took the yellow line and switched at L'Enfant so I only had to hear her for one stop. I'd hoped they fired her or at least gave her a job where she didn't have to make announcements...couldn't tell if she was goofing around, had some sort of speech device for people without vocal cords, or was just dumb.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 700 weeks ago

I heard that one too but it was a female voice I heard. The forced monotone made it sound more masculine though, especially over metro's speakers.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Meghan · 700 weeks ago

That is a great voice. There is another operator on the red line (he used to work afternoons and now I hear him in the morning), who is also awesome. He has a great cadence.

+7 Vote up Vote down

Calabria · 700 weeks ago

My boyfriend and I LOVE HIM... we actually text each other whenever we get on a train and he's driving it. I sent in a commendation for him the first time that I had him because I was so impressed. And will turn my iPod off just to listen to him when he's my conductor (maybe creepy, but he makes me laugh)!

I hope that he finds this page. Or that Metro sees this and gives him a bonus.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Dani · 700 weeks ago

Ah, LOVE this guy. Definitely my favorite. But there's one guy who I've heard a couple times eeeeeearly in the morning on the red line who announces like a vaudeville comedian. It's amazing. Anyone else ever hear this guy?

1 reply · active 700 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Calabria · 700 weeks ago

Yes! I know who you're talking about. The Orange Line guy still is my favorite, but the guy you're talking about is pretty awesome, too.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Calabria · 700 weeks ago

My boyfriend and I LOVE HIM... we actually text each other whenever we get on a train and he's driving it. I sent in a commendation for him the first time that I had him because I was so impressed. And will turn my iPod off just to listen to him when he's my conductor (maybe creepy, but he makes me laugh)!

1 reply · active 700 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Calabria · 700 weeks ago

Ugh, don't know why this posted twice, sorry guys :

+1 Vote up Vote down

K.C. · 700 weeks ago

He sounds a lot like the Orange line operator I remember from a few years ago... guy spoke like Barry White. "Doors opening right siiiidddeee." (This was around 2005... loved him!)

+2 Vote up Vote down

Bob · 700 weeks ago

this guy is the best.........oops sorry Metro, did not mean to be so positive.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Elizabeth · 700 weeks ago

I didn't even have to listen to the clip to know who you were talking about- I knew after 2 comments! I love that guy- especially during crush capacity times- he does his job so well :)

+3 Vote up Vote down

Steve · 700 weeks ago

he is by far my favorite metro operator. i was on the orange line one saturday with a mess of tourists who were snapping photos of the train as it pulled in. he announced he had a "special message for the folks taking photographs" and very politely told them that the flash was distracting to operators who want to get customers to their destination safely. it was hilarious and wonderful, and i just want to hug him every time he is my operator.

+1 Vote up Vote down

VaMinion · 700 weeks ago

There's few things I miss about Metro. But this guy is one of them.

+4 Vote up Vote down

DC denizen · 700 weeks ago

He's great. I also like the female operator that runs the 6:10 train out of Huntington in the mornings. She always says, "All aboard, all aboard" and gives people some time to run to the train before closing the doors. I just like the "All aboard part". It feels very retro.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Allison · 700 weeks ago

I think I used to have him on the Yellow Line! Love him. We called him 18-Doors because he used to do the math for people: "There are six cars in this train, three doors for every car, that's 18 doors! No need to crowd in one of them, all 18 doors are working, pick a new door and give it a try!"

Same driver, one Friday evening on the Yellow Line -- a passenger gets on the train smoking (!!!) and the driver was like "Sir on the platform, I see you smoking, do not get on my train with that cigarette. Sir I see you getting in the third car, smoking is not allowed in Metro. All my passengers in the third car, if you see the gentleman smoking, please get on the intercom and let me know where we can find him, I think some of our friends on the platform at the next station will want to have a word with him." And they DID come and pull him off for smoking on the train!

-20 Vote up Vote down

JSDC · 700 weeks ago

I HATE THIS GUY. He's so condescending. He provides no real information and mis-pronounces everything (have you ever heard him announce L'Enfant Plaza) and is just a general annoyance over the speakers.

I've actually thought about recording him and posting him as the WORST announcer on any line and, when I hear him on my train, I skip it and wait for the next one. Some have mentioned he missed his calling as a DJ. Too bad. I'd be the first to nominate him to leave Metro and join a radio station.

2 replies · active 700 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

a non-mouse · 700 weeks ago

Frankly, I love his fake French accent when saying L'Enfant Plaza. The dude ARTICULATES--something few Metro operators do. He always makes me smile.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 700 weeks ago

I do not really care about the pronunciation. Most of the operators I get either do not announce all of the stops (if any) or get them wrong. Another variation is to skip a stop when announcing the next one. Any of those 3 would confuse people more than simple pronunciation differences.

+2 Vote up Vote down

GlenmontGirl · 700 weeks ago

And Stessel thinks Unsuck is just in it for the attention...Seriously, he's providing an awesome service to Metro here, if they would bother to take advantage of it. Read what the riders say they enjoy about the train announcers, then get guys like this one to help with training so we can have more announcers like him.

But what am I saying, that would involve Metro being proactive.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Curious George · 700 weeks ago

I always thought he sounds like a medicated Greaseman..

+3 Vote up Vote down

John · 700 weeks ago

This operator has also run Yellow Line trains. He is always appreciated by riders. the smiles on their faces thought the train are all the proof you need.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anon2 · 700 weeks ago

There is a radio anouncer who operates the blue line train and he is awesome too.

0 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 700 weeks ago

Has anyone else noticed a change in announcements over the past few days? I have noticed (most of) the operators speaking in to the microphone, and more clearly. Some of them are even trying to put a little life in to their announcements, much like the Orange Line guy...

0 Vote up Vote down

JeremyW · 699 weeks ago

Easily the BEST Metro Operatot...Used to be on the Yellow Line, wow how I miss those days.

+1 Vote up Vote down

montagthezine 51p · 699 weeks ago

i hear this guy sometimes on the orange/blue line commutes. he's great entertainment for the commute home in the evenings!

+1 Vote up Vote down

lvrebel85 · 697 weeks ago

This guy sums up metro drivers pretty well...

0 Vote up Vote down

fred · 689 weeks ago

Love this guy, totally brings to mind Will Arnett as Gob Bluth on Arrested Development. I take off the headphones for him too, rock on!

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