NEW Yorkers can breathe a sigh of relief as the city’s public transportation system has revealed the fate of the subway’s iconic voice.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has dismissed the possibility it will take a similar route as the Transport for London and replace the system’s announcement voice with that of an artificial intelligence bot.
4
4
The London Underground, also known as the Tube, implemented a text-to-speech voice at Colindale Station on the Northern Line as the platform undergoes redevelopment.
The move saw the replacement of Elinor Hamilton’s announcement, which she recorded 20 years ago and described as a somber moment.
“It makes me quite sad they are using an AI voice. To use computer voices almost takes away the joy of traveling to London,” Hamilton, 46, told Metro UK.
Unlike the Transport for London, the MTA told The U.S. Sun they have no plans to change the current subway system announcements.
The deep, recognizable voice of the MTA informs millions of straphangers daily about approaching trains and reminds them to stay behind the yellow platform edge.
Voice actor Bernie Wagenblast’s message routinely echoes through the New York City subway system, advising passengers to “please stay away from the platform edge” or telling them an uptown or downtown train is “approaching the station.”
Wagenblast, who worked as a radio journalist and traffic reporter, recorded the legendary voice announcements for the MTA around 2009, according to the New York Times.
Her voice is a fundamental component of a train ride in New York – but riders might not recognize the broadcaster’s voice if they were to hear it today.
Decades after she first recorded the MTA’s subway messages as a radio journalist in 2009, Wagenblast started transitioning into a woman at age 65.
Rather than using her firm, masculine voice heard by millions on mass transit every day, Wagenblast now speaks in a softer voice after undergoing vocal therapy.
However, Wagenblast said her announcer voice will always be a part of her – and she told the NYT still uses it for some gigs.
Wagenblast hasn’t returned The U.S. Sun’s for comment.
While New York has no plans to change their announcements, the voice of London’s Tube has slammed the dangers of AI to the voice acting industry.
She told Metro it’s important for commuters to hear human voices during their daily routes.
Who is the voice of the New York City subway?
Bernie Wagenblast, 67, is the woman behind the iconic subway voice that shares announcements with New Yorkers every day.
The New Jersey native is a traffic reporter, radio personality, and voice artist best known for her legendary, deep voice.
Wagenblast started her career in transportation in 1979 and has quickly become an integral part of New York’s transit.
You can hear Wagenblast’s voice at:
- New York City Subway
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
- PATH customer information
Wagenblast publicly came out as a trans woman in January 2023.
Source: The New York Times
“We will only start to notice when it is too late,” Hamilton warned.
“When the fabric of London is chipped away by the computers.”
Colindale station, located in a northwest London suburb, is replacing Hamilton’s voice with a text-to-speech tool provided by tech company Zenitel while the station undergoes construction.
Transportation officials said Hamilton’s messages will return to the station once it reopens later this year.
Hamilton also has fears UK transportation will replace the voice of her husband, late BBC radio presenter Phil Sayer.
Sayer died in 2016, but his voice is still used for messages warning passengers to “mind the gap” across the rail network.
“I will kick off if they say they want to take Phil off. I would be really sad,” Hamilton said.
Despite voice actors like Hamilton sharing concerns over cloned voices, other tech experts previously told The U.S. Sun the emerging AI could be used for good.
4
4
