Hamptons Subway Newsletter: Week of January 15–21, 2016
Week of January 15–21, 2016
Riders this past week: 12,878
Rider miles this past week: 128,414
DOWN IN THE TUBE
The Georgica Station was added to the system three years ago with a butler, champagne, library decor and baggage porter for the rich and famous it serves. It’s only open in the summer, but last week Steven Spielberg, who uses that station when he goes to and from his home on West End Road in the summertime, got off anyway to walk around a bit in the gloom. He’s considering setting his next film on this site, to be called Death Takes a Subway Ride. We shall see what we shall see. Also seen on the Subway this week were Tina Fey, Debbie Harry, Suzanne Vega, Mercedes Ruehl and literary agent Binky Urban.
FIREMEN’S POLES INSTALLED
For commuters in a hurry, Hamptons Subway’s board of directors has voted funding to build firemen’s poles alongside the escalators on many of our subway stops. “The subway system, when built in 1927, was never intended for either escalators or firemen’s poles,” Subway Manager Harry Barnes told the newsletter. “We’ve fitted in escalators at all stations, but with the new poles authorized, there might not be room for them at some stations. Whatever we can have in will be put in before the summer rush, though. So if you want to slide down to the platform fast, just look for the pole when you approach the escalators and if you don’t see one it’s probably because you are in a station that doesn’t have one, so don’t waste your time looking, just take the escalator.”
DOG FRIENDLY PLATFORMS
Hamptons Subway is adding still another new service, though it’s on an experimental basis. We’ll evaluate at the end of April. Until then, every Wednesday, all day, we will allow dogs on one particular platform. This week, dogs are welcomed on the Hampton Bays platform from dawn to dusk. Watch for the notices of where the dog friendly platforms are every week. You must swipe your subway card for your dog as well as yourself to get out to the platform, but you can just run your dog around down there without going anywhere, if that’s what you want.
ESCALATOR BREAK DOWN
As you probably know, Hamptons Subway replaces all the leather escalator motor belts every three months on all the escalators so escalators are never out of service from a broken escalator motor belt. Last Tuesday was Escalator Motor Belt Changing Day, but unfortunately two escalators in the system had the new belts installed upside down and they quickly slid off their hubs. So the breakdown was a sliding error, not a breaking error. We regret all the delays on the escalators at Amagansett and Hampton Bays that day.
THE DIORAMA
Hamptons Subway, as it does every year, puts out its diorama of the future of the Hamptons Subway on the Southampton platform for a week to draw suggestions into the little box on the side. The diorama, 7 by 12 feet, this year looks the same as it did last year because the new improvements on the system this year are below ground and the diorama shows the whole South Fork from the air. We’re looking for suggestions you could see on the diorama, perhaps at the sidewalk entrances.
COMMISSIONER ASPINALL’S MESSAGE
Next week is Motorman Appreciation Week. To show your appreciation, walk up the aisle to any motorman’s booth at the front of the subway and rap three times on his little closed door. He’s in there and he will know what that means and probably shout out a nice thank you.