He’s left a gap in the hearts of commuters.
Van Ritshie, who for three decades cautioned MTA riders to “watch the gap” as the official announcement voice on LIRR and Metro North trains, died at 80 last week — and passengers were still in mourning Thursday.
“When I heard that the announcer passed, my heart physically sank,” said Amanda Martinez, 19, a student at Montclair State University. “It’s very familiar. He’s such a well-known voice.”
Kierra Brown, 35, of Bayside, Queens told The Post that Ritshie’s announcements were something her whole family loved.
“My son is obsessed with the Long Island Rail Road trains, and when they do their mock train [play], my dad will always make fun of the voice and say, ‘next stop: Ronkonkoma,’” she said. “It’s been a staple in our family for a long time. The voice, he will be missed.”
“He’s the best part of this place,” added Zach, a Huntington, Long Island resident. “He’s a legend. He’s iconic.”
Ritshie, who was also dubbed the “Voice of the Hudson Valley” during his 50-year-long career in radio, died at a hospice center after a brief illness in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Nov. 3.
His announcements for the MTA, which include warnings for customers to “please watch the gap between the train and the platform,” were first recorded in the mid-1990s, according to The New York Times.
Aside from the MTA, the Astoria, Queens native also lent his iconic voice to the Golf Channel, PGA Tour, Disney’s Earthquake ride and “many other commercials that were and still heard over the radio and television sound waves,” per his obituary.
Ritshie received an award from congress for his radio and voiceover work, his family said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul mourned Ritshie in an X post Wednesday, calling Ritshie a “cherished” voice whose “announcements brought a familiar presence and comfort to commuters across New York.”
Alessia Rovito, 20, of Nassau County, said she heard of Ritshie’s death from a friend, and that the comfort of the familiar announcements “100%” has a place in her heart.
“I always dreamed of going to school here,” Rovito said. “It sounds so cringe, but taking the train, looking out the window [and] seeing the city from the train window, it’s such a nostalgic feeling from when I was a kid.”
Samantha Scurry, of Oceanside, Long Island, grew up taking the train to visit her family in Brentwood — and never knew Ritshie’s announcements were coming from a real person.
“The voice — when you hear it, you know that this is where you are,” Scurry, 38, said. “You know, you’re on the right train. You know you’re in the right direction. And I guess it’s synonymous, right? That voice is the Long Island Rail Road.”
Sara Marallano, a Rutgers University student, told The Post she would like to see the MTA continue to use Ritshie’s voice well after his death — which it will, as an MTA spokesperson said the agency has “no plans to replace his announcements” for the foreseeable future.
“It’s kind of honoring him, to leave him in,” Marallano, 19, said. “It would be great.”
