Week of February 17-23, 2012

Riders this week: 9,812

Rider miles this week: 103,411

DOWN IN THE TUBE

Celebrated author James Salter was seen on the subway midway between Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor. He was alone and reading a thick hardcover book.

NEW P.A. SYSTEMS ON THE SUBWAY

The new advanced public address systems are now featured in all the cars on our line. So from now on, instead of hearing, as you approach a station “mfkooshaham wazool wakinbeilag” you will hear “Do not leave the subway car until it comes to a complete halt.”

SUBWAY WHISTLE

After numerous complaints about the subway trains sneaking up into the stations while the straphangers on the platform are reading the newspaper or listening to their iPods, resulting in the trains coming and going without the passengers getting on, it was decided by the Subway Board of Directors to put a whistle on the front subway car that could be operated by the motorman.

We thought that at the noise level on the platforms the sound ought to be pretty loud and so, as an experiment, we tried last Thursday installing on one train a speaker and amplifier that could pump out 85 decibels to shout out the digitalized wailing sound of an old fashioned steam engine railroad whistle. They have these now on computer chips. It was tried for the first time after leaving the Montauk yard coming into the Amagansett station, as a loud hissing screech that sent everyone on the platform running for cover. We’ll try something else next week.

NOTE TO EVENT PLANNERS

This is the time of year when event planners choose their venues for their upcoming “do’s,” such as fundraisers, weddings and cultural events. The Hampton Subway offers a unique venue for these events, and for a fee will either shut down the system for a few hours to accommodate, or hold the event in some of the subway cars as they go around and around the system for a more exciting time. Inquire by calling the Hampton Subway office in Hampton Bays.

DOOR JAM DELAY

There have been more instances of sliding doors jamming on the subways, and there’s been enough of this to consider that this might be some sort of vandalism or protest to make one sort of point or another. For the next few days, Homeland Security will be setting up at all the turnstiles and what we’re told is that they will be asking all subway users to go through the turnstiles with their shoes off.

COMMISSIONER ASPINALL’S MESSAGE

I am heading off to Manhattan tomorrow for our bi-annual meeting with the Metropolitan Transit Authority. They run the New York Subway System, the PATH Trains and a few other things. There’s a rumor running around that says the New York Subway System is losing so much money that it could be purchased for $1. I’m thinking we ought to consider buying it. Wouldn’t that be something.