Long track record: This family has worked for Metro for 4 generations

As Metro celebrates its 50th anniversary Friday, Richard Oriolo remembers watching his father and grandfather build their careers during the early days of the transit system.

“I have some really great memories from growing up in Metro as a child,” Richard said.

His grandfather worked on engines, and his father laid track that’s still used today.

“He was a great mechanic,” Richard said. “I learned a lot from him as a kid. We tinkered on a lot of things together.”

Guided by the memory of his late father and grandfather, Richard continues the family legacy as a quality assurance worker at Metro.

“I would love to have worked with them; I’d love for them to have seen their grandkids work here as well,” Richard said.

Richard’s kids, Logan and Morgan Oriolo, are also his coworkers — marking four generations of the family working at Metro.

“We’re both really proud to be able to have this opportunity to continue what is a legacy pretty much,” Morgan said.

To learn the basics of engineering, they’re both going through the same technical skills program Richard did.

“My father took care of us, showed us the right way to do everything, and now I get to take that with me onto my career,,” Logan said.

Despite trains running through their blood for generations, the two never actually rode Metrorail until recently.

“That’s the funny thing. My first time riding the train was the day before we started,” Logan said.

The family lives out of Metro’s range in Frederick, Maryland, so Richard decided to take his kids for a ride.

“I didn’t want them to get lost on the subway system. It can be quite confusing,” Richard said.

Logan and Morgan are getting the hang of the Metro system — and Richard says he couldn’t be prouder.

“As a parent, they mean everything to me. I just want to see them succeed and do better than myself,” Richard said.

“If my son wants to be the next [Metro CEO] Randy Clarke, I don’t want to hold him back,” he said.