Hampton Subway Newsletter: Hamptons International Film Festival Is Here

Week of October 5 – October 11, 2012

Riders this past week: 14,744

Rider miles this past week: 91,214

DOWN IN THE TUBE

It’s going to be a star-studded week for Hampton Subway because this weekend is the Hamptons International Film Festival and all the big actors and actresses will be down here. Paparazzi and other people of Italian ancestry will be allowed to gather only in the roped-off areas of all the platforms, to take pictures of the celebs as they board or step off. Look for the sign that says “Paparazzi.”

NEW SUBWAY PROMOTION

For the next two weeks, all persons who are so short that they can walk under the turnstiles without ducking will be allowed to use the subway system for free. Monitors will be on hand to see if you can do this, kids. Keep the hair slicked down if it’s gonna be close, dude.

FARE RISE

Cost of a fare on the Hampton Subway will rise on November 1 from $2.50 to $2.75. Hampton Subway is the leader in subway increases in America. Our fares have gone up more often and by larger amounts than any other subway system in the country. Last year, Commissioner Aspinall was presented with an award because of that.

LOST AND FOUND MOVE

The Lost and Found office for Hampton Subway will be moving on December 1. At the current time it is in room 3F on the third floor of the Hampton Subway office building on Ponquogue Avenue in Hampton Bays. Unfortunately, filching by employees has not been able to be stopped at this location. People just break the lock on the door when the room is closed, or deal with some of the people in charge of the room who, when we subsequently find out about it, get fired.

From now on, Lost and Found will be located in an underground storeroom halfway between Hampton Bays and Quogue. There will be no access from the street. It will be completely automated. If you lose a scarf, for example, take a laptop computer down to the Quogue platform, go online to Hamptonsubway.com

/lostandfound and type the word “scarf” in the box and photos of all scarves in the storeroom will be displayed. Pick the one that is yours by clicking on it and a conveyor belt will take it in its plastic bin along a little track attached to the side of the tunnel to you at the glass booth at the eastern edge of the platform for further identification and pickup.

NO FILM FESTIVAL MOVIES ON SUBWAY

We tried this last year, setting up a movie screen on the Southampton Platform every day to show the films scheduled there, but few people came and the noise of the trains and the din of the straphangers rushing to get on them made it so you couldn’t hear anything. This year, we are not one of the prestigious film festival sites.

TRANSFERS

Next week, Hampton Subway will try a plan which will allow straphangers the option of leaving the subway system for half an hour to get some fresh air or a cup of coffee and then come back down to continue on their way without having to pay another fare. These “transfers” will be time-stamped at all token booths. Go there before you take your break to be stamped.

COMMISSIONER ASPINALL’S MESSAGE

I can’t believe it is almost time for our annual “count the cars” contest where kids of all ages go up on Fort Hill in Montauk overlooking our subway yard to guess how many cars are in the system. It’s something we do during the holiday season. It’s coming up. Soon the box with the slot in it will go up there into which you can put your guesses. Merry Christmas.