Hamptons Trains Slow for Halloween Decor

Train speeds on the Hamptons Subway line will drop from 41 to 29 miles per hour starting now and lasting through November 3. The reduction is in place to protect Halloween decorations installed across all platforms and tunnels. Passengers should expect delays during this period. The night crew placed ghouls, ghosts, castles, and twinkling light strips during the night of October 27. The decorations will remain up until November 3.

The Hamptons Subway Police Department reported a staffing anomaly during their Wednesday 6 a.m. muster at the Southampton platform. The usual count of 47 officers was exceeded by five individuals. These five men are officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were wearing masks when they joined the line up. The standard count for the subway force is 47. On Wednesday, the total reached 52. The five ICE officers were identified as overweight. Interviews revealed they preferred their roles on the subway over their positions in ICE. The department wanted the switch to remain quiet.

Commissioner Biff Aspinall handled the matter. He instructed staff to leave the five officers alone. He said he was glad to have the extra help. This follows a directive from Aspinall last Tuesday. He required all subway police officers to wear masks while on duty. He explained that officers sometimes perform tasks they may find embarrassing. He did not want neighbors to see them doing these tasks. He compared this dynamic to how ICE operates in the area.

A notice for customers states that costumes are welcome on Halloween night. However, riders are required to avoid wearing masks. The transit authority wants to prevent confusion between costumed passengers and the masked police officers. This rule is specific to the Halloween night service.

Biff Aspinall’s brother has launched a new venture called HairGel Shocks Inc. The company is injecting a specific hair gel into subway car shock absorbers. The procedure is currently underway at Montauk Yards. The goal is to produce a smoother ride for passengers. The improvement should be noticeable by the New Year. The gel is a particular formulation developed by the commissioner’s sibling.

Stella Achison, the token booth clerk at Southampton station, has logged 2,424 overtime hours in the past year. This figure emerged from a freedom of information request filed by a local newspaper. Achison earns a base salary of $54,812, the same as other booth clerks. Her overtime pay at time and a half added $94,051 to her income. This total makes her one of the highest-paid employees on the system. She is out-earned only by the commissioner, his wife, his daughter, and nine other relatives in the company.

To accrue those hours, Achison worked 13 hours a day, seven days a week, for 52 weeks. Commuters have reported finding her asleep in the glass booth. They often have to bang on the glass to wake her. The subway authority and the newspaper agree she is performing her duties. The system plans to reprimand her for her schedule. Her personal circumstances, including a difficult husband and 13 children in private school, were noted but deemed insufficient excuse.

Riders have spotted several celebrities on the line recently. Meg Ryan traveled from Bridgehampton to Sag Harbor on Monday afternoon. Nancy Atlas alighted at East Hampton with her guitar on Friday night. Naomi Watts and her husband Billy Crudup rode the Montauk line eastbound through Napeague last Tuesday. Jimmy Fallon was seen at the Noyac platform fishing for change to buy a newspaper at the newsstand.

Commissioner Aspinall sent a message to riders. He and his family hold an annual dinner to celebrate the season. The event involves exchanging presents, bobbing for apples, building fires, and throwing a Frisbee. They also hold a cross-dressing contest. Aspinall said this is family tradition. He wished everyone a merry Halloween.