# The 5 Train Announcements: Jessica and Melissa
The 5 train's announcement recordings feature two different female announcement voices: **Jessica and Melissa**. Although Jessica is the primary focus of this description because of her extensive work voicing the 5 train announcements, Melissa is also mentioned because she contributed several recordings of her own during the earlier years of the R142 announcement system.
One notable change involved Jessica's original **"This is a New Lots Avenue Bound 5 train"** announcement. This recording was redone to make the words *New Lots Avenue Bound* sound clearer and more distinctly pronounced. The updated recording provided passengers with a more understandable announcement of the train's destination.
Jessica Ettinger-Gottesman became one of the recognizable voices associated with the 5 train. Her voice can be heard across many of its station announcements, including the familiar "The next stop is..." recordings and other automated announcements.
However, **Jessica did not record every single 5 train announcement!** Melissa Kleiner also contributed to the original 5 train announcement collection. Her recordings were used from approximately **2001 through 2005**, during the earlier years of the R142 fleet's automated announcement system.
Melissa's voice could be heard in certain destination and service announcements, including some of the Manhattan-bound and Brooklyn-bound 5 express train recordings. This meant that passengers could hear Melissa announcing the train's destination and Jessica announcing upcoming stations within the same announcement sequence.
An important part of this history is that **all of Melissa's 5 train announcements were replaced in 2005**. Her recordings were eventually phased out, leaving Jessica's updated recordings in their place. Consequently, Melissa's contributions belong to an earlier chapter of the 5 train's announcement history, spanning 2001–2005.
Although this description primarily focuses on Jessica and her role in voicing the 5 train, Melissa deserves recognition as well. Her recordings were part of the original announcement collection and help explain why some older 5 train announcement sequences sound different from the versions passengers became familiar with afterward.
The older recordings can be explored through Mr. Railfan's announcement videos, including this reference:
https://youtu.be/a4Es3iB-Z2E
**In conclusion:** Jessica became the main recognizable voice of the 5 train announcements, but Melissa was also part of the original recording history. From 2001 to 2005, both voices contributed to the 5 train's automated announcements before Melissa's recordings were completely replaced in 2005.
Attention passengers: the next train to Grand Central is now arriving on platform four. This is an express service making stops at 42nd Street and Union Square. Please stand back from the platform edge as the train approaches and remember to gather all personal belongings before exiting the vehicle.
