Original version of Randi Miller WMATA door chimes

[ILLINOISLOYALTY1]

the guy with the phone looks so sketchy

[AMD1]

was there ever a model that did not have a chime? before I moved away from dc I boarded a car that did not have a chime, or a blinky light. if I recall it did not have a grill for a speaker ether. but i am not 100% sure.

[schuminweb]

@AMD1 Prior to 1996, no WMATA rail cars had door-open chimes. The first "doors opening" message was introduced in 1996 with the Sandy Carroll version of the chimes. Also, the 5000-Series (intro 2001) was the first car class to have flashing lights over the doors. The 1000 through 4000-Series cars as built did not have those lights. Likewise, the 1000 through 4000-Series cars did not originally have external speakers. All but the 4000-Series have since been retrofitted, however.

[eaglehockey16]

Is that Washington Subway ?

[schuminweb]

@eaglehockey16 Correct. WMATA = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Thus WMATA = DC Metro.

[LlanFair22]

this is the second version of this chime this is only played during rush hour for pushy commuters

[schuminweb]

@LlanFair22 Actually, this was the first chime, rolled out on a test basis on certain 5000-Series cars. However, when the final, less-pushy chime was rolled out across the entire fleet, the cars with the original chime were not updated. From what I can tell, the original chimes are on 5080-5081, 5100-5101, and 5178-5179.

[ineedabuspass]

I just miss the original chime which sounds similar to the NYC subway system. But then again, I guess tourists in DC need it fed to them when the doors are actually closing. Its sooooo annoying.

[schuminweb]

@ineedabuspass Actually, I think that this new door chime was aimed at the regulars, not the tourists. The regulars are the ones who will crowd the doors and treat the chime like a yellow light. I've noticed that tourists generally just try to find a seat and otherwise have room to breathe.

[vwestlife]

That lady means business!!

[donsherio]

@vwestlife Apparently the don't care about periods either. Those sentences definitely were back to back. I couldn't even understand the first time.

[ThePhantom2K9]

This isn't NYC

[TheVeggietalesfan1]

What's up with the red light blinking when she say " Step back , doors closing " ? Is it to tell that the doors are closing ?

[schuminweb]

Correct. That's a warning light for the hearing impaired.

[jammes122]

I think I like the current announcement better. This one sounds very pushy, as if the woman really wishes she could say "Move, NOW!", but she can't.

But I like the old, higher pitched door chimes better than the current ones.

[Roboboy]

@jammes122 Indeed, I wish more metro systems had forceful announcements like this. In Boston, most trains don't even have automated announcements and the gentle reminders by conductors (when they remember to do so) are barely audible. Often I've found myself stuck at the door, and often I've found myself the asshole yelling at people to move into the car (with plenty of space...).

[MrZackattack2010]

the montreal metro lady sound way better and atlest she doest talk too much like when the doors open and close just a simple prochain station

[BurgerChefGuy]

I never understood why they picked her anyway, .......I have heard better versions than that.

[schuminweb]

Well, of the field of finalists, she seemed to be the best. The other women's voices started to grate, and one of the men sounded WAY too fatherly.

[sme19]

5101 still has these chimes, they havent been changed

[gaaantz]

that guy leaning against the cutting disk is such a hottie!

[SPS148669]

In my city our LRT/subway makes a sound too. it goes "Ding-Dong Ding-Dong" Next stop _____ Station" with a males voice.

[BlGGlE]

Where are you from?

[SPS148669]

Edmonton Canada We have just a small 1 line system but under contruction to serve more of the city.

[punjabikillahz]

Oh cool.

[TDFG4602]

Ben, Does every car in metrorail have this recording now, or do some still have the sandy caroll recordings?

[schuminweb]

Very few cars have the specific version of the recording. Only a few 5000's have the version shown here. Most cars were given a toned-down version, which is less forceful than this one.

As for the old Sandy Carroll chimes, I've not heard the Rohr/Breda version since April 2006, but I have heard the CAF/Rehab version here and there, but it's rare. I think that stems from the fact that the Breda rehabs and Alstoms were delivered with the old chime, and were changed to the new one in DC.

[nightferret]

Do you (or does anyone) have a recording of the old Sandy Carroll announcements? I'd like to hear what they sounded like, since many people seem to prefer them to the newer ones...

[schuminweb]

I do! I'll have to search around for them, though.

[nightferret]

That would be awesome. Thanks!

[nightferret]

Any luck finding the old Sandy Carroll chimes?

[RedShadow1917]

That voice is annoying.

Step back DOORSSSSSS CLOSSSSING!

[jaimedemexico]

Also the chimes sound professional compared to BART.  I mention BART because the cars they use are the same but the WMATA seems so much more sophisticated. People in the Bay Area think everything they do and the land of eternal sunshine everything should be modeled after. WMATA is a good system.

[jaimedemexico]

I like the DC metro door chime-- very important to hear this message. The BART system is so amateur that you can hardly hear any message. The train operators are all tense and take out their aggression on the passengers; I would rather hear an automated recording so I don't have to hear BART employees anger.

[ma3145tt]

I was actually on 5101 on Saturday, running as yellow line. Either there was a malfunction, but this car still had the original Randi Miller recording.

[schuminweb]

My guess is that the CAF cars that have the original version as shown here will keep that version until either (A) Metro decides to change the chimes again, or (B) the CAFs enter rehab around 2021 or so, whichever comes first.

[Kingofdetroit2004]

The voice sounds kinda... Bitchy. It sounds like the voice was trying to annoy customers.

"Step back, doors CLOOSSING!"

[EugeneXL]

lol the starting should not be customers... it should be passenger

[schuminweb]

A number of years ago, WMATA changed their terminology on that one, so their riders are now officially "customers" rather than "passengers", and this is consistent with that.

[NeoFalcon69]

I have to agree - I find the "customer" label werid too.

I do like the "loud" and "clear" commands though.

[schuminweb]

Considering that you're talking to other "customers" with these announcements, saying "customers" is somewhat inappropriate. Perhaps saying "other riders" would have been more appropriate.

[SchoolBus646]

that guy purposely stood right in front

[schuminweb]

Well, yeah. The windscreens are popular places for people to lean.

[DrSurprise]

sounds like a cell phone ringtone

[Sulaco516]

That door design was also used on the other D.C. MetroRail cars, the BART cars, the SEPTA ADTranz M-4 cars, and the AmTrak California Bi-Level cars.

[CoastersNSich]

Was Randi drinking before recording these announcements?!

[schuminweb]

I'd say they did a really bad job in the editing, if nothing else. The final version that they ended up deploying to the rest of the cars sounded a lot more natural.

[sme19]

this sounds 2 computerized

[brianrgeller]

i like version so much more!!!!!!!!!!!!!