Bernie Wagenblast
Her calm, trusted voice guides millions through subway tunnels and airport terminals, while her reporting shapes the conversation about how we get around.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American journalist and voice-over artist·Birthday: September 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
If you've ridden the subway in New York, New Jersey, or several other major cities, you've heard Bernie Wagenblast. Her clear, steady announcements are the sonic wallpaper of public transit, a voice of authority in the underground. But Wagenblast is far more than a disembodied voice. She is a journalist and entrepreneur who carved out a unique niche at the intersection of transportation and communication. Seeing a need for a centralized source of industry news, she founded the Transportation Communications Newsletter, a must-read digest that connects professionals across the field. She further amplifies these conversations as the host of podcasts for major engineering and transportation organizations. In an era of noise, Wagenblast built a career on clarity—both in her instantly recognizable vocal delivery and in her mission to inform the complex world of moving people and goods.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bernie was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bernie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Serves as the official voice for automated announcements on the New York City Subway, PATH train, and several major airports.
- Founded and edits the influential Transportation Communications Newsletter, a key industry resource.
- Hosts podcasts for the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
- Built a multifaceted career bridging voice-over artistry, journalism, and transportation industry analysis.
Did You Know?
She recorded the 'Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please' warning for the NYC Subway.
Her voice is also heard on the AirTrain systems at Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy airports.
She began her career as a radio news reporter and anchor in New Jersey.
She is a frequent speaker at transportation industry conferences on the topic of communication.
“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”
