Buzzer Podcast: Voice of the SkyTrain
Buzzer Podcast: Voice of the SkyTrain
Hear the voice of the SkyTrain in our second Buzzer blog podcast!
So if you didn’t know, the voice announcing the stations on our SkyTrain comes from an actual person. That person is Laureen Regan, president of Regan Productions in Calgary, who recorded the announcements for the launch of the Millennium Line. In this interview, I ask Laureen to do a few of the station announcements, how she got into the job, and whether she’s the voice of any other train systems. (You can also check out the article on Laureen in the Oct. 10 Buzzer for more!)
To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS, so this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader, and you’ll get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.
You can also listen to our first podcast, an interview with the voice of the SeaBus, Rik Kiviaho.
Keep watching the blog too – the remaining podcast on John Abou-Samra will be posted in the coming week!
[…] there is this neat podcast with Laureen Regan of Calgary who not only does our system but BART as well. I like the sound of […]
On the Mark II SkyTrains, how come we don’t hear the single chime before the announcement of the next station? The Mark I trains have the single chime, so why not the Mark II trains? I love that single chime.
Hi Dave,
I’ve just got the answer back from SkyTrain, who notes that you are one observant passenger :) You’ll be happy to know that we looked at the specifications and we will be making changes to the Mark II trains so it also includes the single
chime. This may take several weeks though to complete, but it’s on the way!
What about the single chime on the automated announcements on Skytrain C-Line strains? I didn’t hear that in your videos you just posted for the C-line tour. I think they should do that too. And also, I think the announcer talked a bit too fast for the C-Line. Perhaps she can slow down, just like the E/M-Line ones.
Are there still audio samples of the old SkyTrain voice from Expo? That is the classic voice… I moved out of Vancouver to Toronto before the Millennium Line opened, got back and the voice changed! Who is the older woman and where is a sample of her voice? Classics must stay!
I remember when SkyTrain still had blue carpet and fabric red and blue seats… and ran in twos!
There some sound samples of the old and new ones for the skytrain announcement in The Province article. Hope this helps
http://theprovince.com/news/local-news/voice-of-skytrain-canada-line-sounds-different-but-its-the-same-person
Charlie:
The previous voice of SkyTrain was Karen Kelm, who used to work for BC Transit in the 80s. Look her up in Google — she’s a singer and has an album around! I’m not sure what happened to the old recordings of her SkyTrain announcements though.
I think this is the recording for the Canada Line trains. I’m not sure if this is for the millennium and expo lines as well. I just took the millennium line train today, and it sounded like Translink still had the old recordings active.
Mark:
Laureen Regan does the voice for all the SkyTrain lines in Metro Vancouver. The recordings of the SkyTrain announcements I put into the podcast are the current recordings on the Expo/Millennium Lines, as the Canada Line wasn’t operational at the time.
Is she the voice of the station announcements for the Canada Line?
Ric: Yes, she is the voice on the Canada Line!
Is she the voice for the announcements on the buses?
No, that’s an automated voice generated by software. Here’s a post with more info.
I like the voice of the skytrain instead of the voice of the Canada Line. Why can’t they put announcements like the skytrain, only they announce the canada line stations?
And i didn’t hear “The next station ding” chime on the Canada Line. Will they put it on the Canada Line?
skytrainboy22:
Well, Laureen Regan actually does the voice for both the SkyTrain and the Canada Line announcements!
I’m not sure what you mean by the “The next station” ding as well — could you clarify?
Hmm… If Laureen Regan did the voice recordings for the canada line why does the voice sound different?
I actually took a voice recorder on the two systems recorded the announcement and listened to it a couple times one after the other and to me they sound different.
It might just be the differing quality of the audio systems, or the different acoustics of the stations/trains. It’s definitely Laureen doing both announcements.
How come the announcements don’t have the “Next station ding” (DING, The next station is ……) for the Canada Line?
Well, here’s the answer ProTrans BC has given me about the Canada Line announcements:
Weird I thought I heard the next station announcement when riding the Canada Line?
Now I’m really confused.
@Paul
i’m talking about the the next station is chime
(DING, The next station is ……)
@skytrainboy22
Ya I know the one your talking about. When you are on the train and as it approaches the next station. You get the DING, The next station is…)
For some weird reason I feel like I’ve heard something similar to that for the Canada Line. It may not be exactly the same though. Ie different voice or maybe the DING is missing.
Next time I’m on the Canada Line I’ll listen to see what I hear.
You know what, I think that a lot of people really do secretly wonder who the is the skytrain voice. The first time I thought about it, I said to my friend, “I wonder who’s the poor sap who has to do these announcements all the time…” It must of also been pretty confusing because the skytrain was supposed to announce bus transfers to the Olympic venues during the Olympics.
@Skytrainboy22 I agree with you the ding chime is missing on the canada line but not only that when The canada line train approaches Waterfront It said “the next station is terminus station Waterfront it never said transfer to Expo/Millennium line Seabus and West Coast Express compared with the expo/millennium line the announcement said with the ding first “the next station is Waterfront Terminus station Transfer To Canada Line and Seabus”
Lester, yes the Canada Line is missing some stuff that the Expo/Millenium Line have what the Canada Line doesn’t have. I think they should ask the person who’s in charge of the Canada Line to make some improved announcements, especially for Waterfront.
I would have love to hear Laureen to describe more details (Eg. Portland Transit system. Where it says “Rose Quarter Transit Centre. “Doors to my Right.” Also it quotes doors to my right in spannish.) It should be very simmilar to the Skytrain “The next Station is Broadway. Optional transfers to the Millenium Line. Across the over-head walkways to platforms 1 & 2.” After that it should say “Doors to my left.” every time for new tours in case they forget. With the Canada line when it leaves the station is says the destination. It never says on train that you’re entering a new zone when crossing Richmond or Vancouver. Again maybe needs some improvements.
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I heard that in the 1980s there was a rumour that the voice of the Skytrain was Mrs. Vander Zalm.
If Lauren Regan has only done it since the ’90s then someone else was the voice before her.
Clark: before Laureen, the SkyTrain voice was done by a former SkyTrain employee named Karen Kelm. Not Mrs Vander Zalm, though that would have made a fun story!
Mind = blown.
Hello,
I’m wondering if the audio played on the SkyTrain (door chime & announcements) are mp3’s like the bus.
And are they triggered by a local network signal via the position on the rail? Or do they use GPS like the busses?
Thanks!
Pietro
why isnt there a station anncouncement when we entering columbia station like broadway stn example next station is columbia optional transfer for the millenium line.
[…] Pra ouvir é só clicar no link abaixo ou ir direto na página do podcast do Translink clicando aqui. […]
Ouch!!!! Hello Jhenifer Pabillano. My name is Rodrigo, I’m a Brazilian… I can’t belive…that I heard…this podcast brought me a wonderful memories about Vancouver… I was there on April/2011…
Amazing….Amazing…
Many Thanks to this moment…
Rodrigo
I’ve taken the skytrain million of times and have always wondered if it’s a real person doing the announcements. Not only is it a real person, now I know who she is.
Thanks for sharing this info. :>
Rodrigo, Clement: Happy to help :)
How come there is not a next station ding on the Canada line?
Also,is there any announcements on the west coast express? I have never been on it before. Please,publicly,send me a podcast of the announcements.
thanks.aaron
Hi Aaron, I don’t have access to that however, you could request from WCE directly. Here is the email for you: wcecustomerservice@translink.ca
Thanks!
ok thanks anyways