I live in NYC now and even though I'm no longer a little kid, I still wish I could be a conductor for a day. I like to stand and wait at the middle of the platform just so I can watch them. And when they leave the station, they look so cool with their safety glasses looking left and right making sure everyone is on board. Thanks to all the men and women who operate these trains!!
1:24 If you’re wondering what she was pointing at, there’s an indicator on the platform wall which, when lined up with the conductor’s cab, let’s them know all the doors are lined up with the platform. After she points, she opens the doors. In Toronto the same system is used, but the indicator is much simpler- it’s a large green triangle
Yup, thats called the Zebra board. Every conductor needs to point at it at every stop to make sure they are paying attention and if the train is fully in the station.
I gave up my career in education to be a conductor and it’s the best decision I’ve made. The job can be tough and you can find yourself in some dangerous situations especially late nights and weekends but the pay is great. A lot of time off, good benefits, job security and opportunity for promotion.
@grahamperry3773 after 5 years you get 5 weeks off. Every years you get an extra week until you reach the 5 weeks. You're able to back 12 holidays. 12 sick days that carry over year to year. When I was a Conductor I backed over 200 sick days that were cashed out at retirement.
Being a guard can be quite difficult though, until you get then hang. In my country the guard has to blow a whistle then close the passenger doors, then blow the whistle again and close and local door. Then buzz the driver for departure.
I spent 6 years as a NYCT Conductor (B Division; lettered routes)......me I always (and still do as a current Metro-North Railroad Conductor) make clear UNDERSTANDABLE announcements and always act courteous and respectful of the passengers. Even made many friends along the way thru this line of work, at a total now of almost 22 years in the system. And to those who question whether Conductors are people persons.......many are, but the ones who seem to not be, try asking them what the public has put them thru in their tenure!!!! Some do become salty when being cursed at, spit at, swung on, etc etc, and often for things that are way beyond their control. Me, for every one bad person I encountered, there's been 100 good people for each one!!!!
I was an auto mechanic in 1982. Worked like a dog. I was called for Conductor in Aug. of 82. After my first week, I called my Dad & told him transit is paying me for nothing. It was also boring. Then my 1st evacuation in the middle of a dark tunnel with 2,000 passengers during rush hour. The temp was a 110° down there. People started panicking. That's when you earn your money. Also you have to deal with smelly bums. That's right, that's what they were called. Then you have to deal with discharging angry passengers from a broken train. Working nights & weekends are no joke. 18 months later I was called for motorman which to me was more exciting.
I appreciate your comment because when I heard her say 1992, I started thinking that I sure hope she retired by now. Then, I had to rewind it back because I no longer heard any else she had said after she said 1992 lol
I been working for transit 20 years now, I started as a station cleaner, then got promoted to conductor and then promoted to Train Operator. 5 more years and I can retire
I was a conductor for 30yrs; now retired .When I started in 1983 the system was a mess , the equipment was old ;we still had R-10 trains. Crime was high; robberies and assaults . Conductors didn't have radios assaults on conductors was common ; being spit on was common .You had to deal with situations on your train that was often dangerous without backup. Fortunately we had the transit police who did a great job without fanfare. It's still a dangerous job and a thankless one. What has improved for the better is the neighborhood the trains travel through which has helped reduce crime in the system. Also, the equipment is newer and better maintained.
@@joles8 I didn't find the job enjoyable, I did work with some great people though. I appreciated the pay and the benefits, the job security. Even with all the bad stuff that happened I wasn't about to give those good things up, you deal with it. Things did get better crime went down the equipment was newer and better maintained. It's a good paying job just be prepared to work some crazy hours.
Thats kind of the reason theres alarms that the doors are closing, if you miss your train, you miss your train. Better than getting stuck/hurt in the door and make 100+ people on the train late and angry at u cause the train doesnt leave on time
Conductor: Wah.. Blah blah blah.. Tree four nine A blah. Blah.. Skreech... Blah... Blah... Skerch.. Chamber street.... Blah... Wah. Wah... *Silence* Me: Ah, this must be Chelsea.
I was a conductor for 13 years for the MTA, after a while I said enough with the rude and crazy passengers who will spit in your face, throw urine at you, assault you, and call you every name in the book. So I got a promotion to Train Operator and it so much better. No more rude angry passengers. The only thing I have to worry about is someone jumping in front of my train. But I only got 5 years left to retire
@@jahjah6654 well actually I started first as a station cleaner, then promoted to conductor and then promoted to train Operator. But now you can come in as a conductor and then take the promotion test to move up.
@@mrpower328 hi I'm interested in a train conductr I'm 19, and was wondering how I can get the job, what test do I take, what type of training do I do. Thank I'm super nervous because I think it might be stressful.
The motorman and conductors along with doing their jobs makes sure us as commuters are safe so please show them alittle more respect and praise because without the transportation we have here in NYC we would be screwed.
My dad was a NYC Transit Authority Conductor for 24 years primarily working on the #2 Train out of East 241sr Street. I’ve wanted to be a Conductor since I was a little boy and I still think it’s the only job to this day I’d leave my current career for an opportunity with the MTA.
I'm born & raised in NYC & have been riding subways since tokens were 15 cents. I still live in NY, still ride the trains & always thank conductors every chance I get. Every time I do, their reaction is one of appreciation with a smile that makes you feel good too. Try it sometime & see for yourself that it works - they deserve it !
Being both a conductor and train operator looks easy but both jobs are highly stressed related. Anything goes wrong and you can be subject to a battery of drug and alcohol test.
I used to watch conductors work the trigger boxes on the R-1/9s and R-10s back in the day. That was the coolest thing to watch, especially when they slapped the caps. Interestingly enough, I rode on the BMT standards every Saturday during their final two years of operation (1967-69) and not once did I ever ride in the same car with the conductor.
Same. What if it's something important that riders may need to hear? Like for example, trains being rerouted to another line or trains going from local to express because a train's brakes were activated, etc.
In Atlanta, Rail Operators do everything! You are the Operator and Conductor! You operate, make the announcements, open and close the doors at each station and troubleshoot if their train goes down. And you're the first onsite communicator in an emergency! Yeah Marta! 💙💛🧡
A train conductor at every MTA subway trains shall learn how to do their Jon seriously without no distractions affecting them. Wish you luck on being a MTA conductors in the near future, folks. 😀
@stylus850 That's why it's considered felony to assault an MTA conductor. And by the way, an occurrence like that doesn't exempt them from being courteous.
I know it's always a lot of fun kick around the conductor's whenever you have a chance, but having ridden the system so often I can tell you they've got a tough job.
I met Superintenant Hoban. He’s known as Superintenant Hobo. Nasty, rude, unprofessional man. But at least he knows how to talk on camera. Just not to employees.
Soverism It’s people like you who are the reason why Children of the future lose hope. Saying nonsense like that. If you are talking about yourself, keep it to yourself. Do not go around putting down others just because your dreams haven’t, aren’t, and/or will never come to light!!!
The New York Subway is very lucky to have a train guard. London Underground got rid of it's guards in the 1980/1990s... All the LU lines are driver only... In fact several lines are now ATO operated now... So as the technology moves a train driver will become a thing of the past
they're locked up in their little cabs I think so you normally never encounter them. one way to do so is found a black and white striped panel hanging off the ceiling at the center of a platform called a Zebra Board. As you saw in this video they have to point at the ZB during every stop so just find it on your platform and for the next train a conductor will be visible point at it.
I left NYC a few years ago. They need conductors on the trains in Denver, because I got caught in the doors when they closed too soon as I was getting off. It really hurt my shoulder. I also saw a lady get off the train and the doors closed before her kid got off. Luckily, the driver was alerted and opened the doors and the child was able to get off the train.
Automated trains, like the SkyTrain, have sensors in the doors. If anything gets caught in them, they instantly reopen. When the obstruction is cleared, the door chime sounds again and the doors close again
Not in NYC. If you’ve seen two people swap it might have been the time square shuttle. The two people are train Operators though and depending on the direction one is operating the door while the other operates the train.
@Doug Miles, Negative, Conductors are not qualified to operate/move trains in the NYC subway. Only Train Operators and TSS's (Train Service Supervisors) are qualified to move equipment.
@Vanessa Yates Not correct Vanessa. Conductors in Amtrak and the Railroads are actually are not moving trains themselves . What they are doing is permitting the Locomotive Engineer on the other end by way of communicating that the track is clear. They do give permission for the engineer to operate other than head end. We, in the industry call this "flagging" and is always done with positive communication. Also its OPTO not OPT, OPTO is One Person Train Operation. I've been OPTO qualified twice to work the GCS (Grand Central Shuttle). Its cool and we get a small bump in pay to work OPTO jobs. Cheers!
There are a fair amount of women train operators and conductors on the NYC Subway. More women conductors than operators though. The majority of conductors and especially operators are still men. It's much less common to see women conductors and engineers on freight trains though.
@@justsheem215 Passenger seems better. I've heard some not great things about freight. I think passenger generally pays a more too. Do you still work for SEPTA?
Few time i need help about same thing i ask the conductor a question the conduction help me .all mta worker is good help any one out.i am proud of all mta worker .good job.
I WAS A CONDUCTOR 1967-1968 AND IT SEEMS SO EASY UNTIL YOU DO THE JOB. ALMOST ALL PASSENGERS ARE VERY NICE PEOPLE, BUT THE FEW HOWEVER ARE VERY NASTY & MAKE THE JOB MISERABLE. SOME SPIT AT YOU, SOME THROW THINGS AT YOU OR WILL SCREAM AT YOU WHEN THE TRAIN IS LATE. I WAS PROMOTED TO MOTORMAN IN 1968 AND THE JOB HAD GREATER RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRAIN OPERATION AND WAS FAR MORE DANGEROUS BECAUSE, IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, YOU HAVE TO GO ON THE TRACKS THERE IS TOO MUCH TO EXPLAIN HERE.I WAS THERE FOR 30 YEARS. SIGNED: OLD C/R, M/M, TSS.
The TTC abolished conductors on the Toronto subway a long time ago but I do remember them when I was a kid. They blew a whistle at each stop to indicate the doors were closing.
181 St - George Washington Bridge is on the 1... But, that first shot is at the shuttle. They do a bunch of filming there because it closes at night and there are three trains available (before the current reconstruction project). Hoyt-Schermerhorn is another filming location because of the connection to the transit museum. The S,1, C, 4, and D lines are my favourites to operate on.
Glad to know conductors for passenger trains still exist. I'll be applying soon because most railroads are trying to do away with the conductor on most freight trains 😡
I passed the exam for this and was told my current work experience wasn't good enough for a job that is unique and requires specific training. MTA is so full of ish from the rooter to the tooter.
It's funny cause taking the one train(it happens all the time). Coming from a school downtown, I sometimes hear actually teens in the conductor area where they say the stops. Bc of that, when a teen sounds like the actually conductor its self and say the wrong street, others get off thinking this train is skipping a stop or two. These kids are cursing so much and there's little kids there and parents are forced out of the train so they're child doesn't hear the curse words. Secure the room for the conductor and don't like kids go in there 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
We did away with conductors on septa wish we had them back cause we surely do need them one person operation can be crappy at times especially during the am and pm rush
Larry McNeil, I agree. The drivers are in a rush these days. OPTO ain’t that great. I’m old school, I rather have one person open the doors on the island platforms and the other opening the side platforms.
iamverycrazy there's a stop marker in each station. They point it to ensure that the train is fully in the station and that the first door and last door are on the platform. That stop marker gives the perfect position of a train in the station. If their finger doesn't line up with it when they point, they cannot open the doors as it is not safe (there might be a door still in the tunnel).
They point to the strips .. and don’t get paid enough for people yelling at them about the announcements And when the train is late . But must of all their are their their as amazing customers service and letting us on and off the subways
I use the Singapore MRT often and would like to experience how NYC does things. Since here our trains are mostly automated and have no conductors and only has train operators on 2 lines
mtainfo can you do a video on the mta employees who routinely don't show up to work but continue to get paid? and the another video on overtime fraud? and then another video on shady mta contracting practices? and union graft? these would all be great. thanks.
For me as a European, this is quite unusual to see. We have no other people beside the train operators on our subway/metro trains - and sometimes, there's not even the operator, since some systems are completely automated.
Jakub Říhovský We tried one person ops on the L 14th Street-Canarsie Local (or simply the Canarsie Line) in 2005, but union issues put caused them to put the brakes on the plan.