Dan's Papers - October 26, 2007 - Here Comes the Train With the Workers and the Commuters

As you may already know, Monday, October 15, marked the end of the "cops and cones program," bringing back the all too familiar feelings of gridlock for East End commuters wishing to pass through the bottleneck on Sunrise Highway and through to County Road 39's stop-putt-putt-and-go rhythmic traffic. Fortunately, the Long Island Rail Road's new program, which will run on weekdays until May 22, includes three additional eastbound trains from Speonk (6:11 a.m., 8:32 a.m., 2:44 p.m.), two ending in Montauk and one in East Hampton, and three additional westbound trains ending in Speonk, two beginning in Montauk (12:28 p.m., 4:22 p.m.) and one in East Hampton (7:26 a.m.). The Town sponsored bus services for commuters, free of charge from the train station.

The Speonk railroad station on the Montauk Branch of the LIRR made history smile once again. Originally built in 1870, this railroad station was once called the Remsenburg Station (1895-97), in salutation to Remsenburg, a hamlet that lies just south of Speonk. A few angry townspeople did not like the way Speonk sounded, some even said it reminded them of a frog burp, but as history would have it, the name remained despite some residents removing the Speonk sign and replacing it with one that read Remsenburg. With that mixup behind the people of Speonk, the first South Fork Commuter Connection train departed from Speonk's platform this past Tuesday, October 23.

Well, I work out here, and just like everyone else I can't stand the traffic. So like any good commuter, I set off on a mission to test out the new system. Here's what happened when I took the 8:32 a.m. train leaving from Speonk and heading to Bridgehampton, where the Dan's Papers office is located.

8:15 a.m. I pull into the Speonk Train Station located on North Phillips Avenue at Depot Road. I've never been here before and I think I may be lost. The parking lot is about half full, and there looks to be a large diesel yard or some field where they are storing old things. I sip on my coffee, check the clock on my cell phone about thirteen times and turn off my engine. I'm listening to NPR about campaign financing but all I can hear in my head is the song, "My Baby Takes The Morning Train," by Sheena Easton.

8:29 a.m. I step out of my car and purchase a ticket from the machine. A few people are eating the breakfast they purchased at the Track Side Café, which is located in a parking lot across the way. Tickets cost $2.25 for one-way trips between any stops, $20 for a weekly pass and $66 for a monthly. At least the commuter bus shuttle won't cost me a dime. As I look back at my car, I notice there are at least 50 open car spots in the parking lot.

8:32 a.m. The strong sound of the train horn reverberates about the station and I stand alongside ten fellow train riders and board the double-decker four-car train. On board with me are a few construction workers, landscapers and Bay Street Theatre employee Diane Guest. There is a strange energy in the air and two employees from the LIRR wish us well. The conductor welcomes the crowd to the new South Fork Commuter Connection and makes a funny comment about County Road 39 and the weather. "Next stop, Westhampton. Westhampton, next stop!"

8:38 a.m. We arrive in Westhampton. One person gets off the train. A dozen people board the train and a friendly-looking woman dressed in a black Lycra sports outfit sits down next to me. I spark up a conversation. I ask her where she's headed. "I'm going to East Hampton. I live in Eastport and drove to Westhampton. This train system will really, really, help." I ask what she does in East Hampton. "I'm a manager at one of the local gyms. I can walk there from the train station." The conductor's voice comes back over the loudspeaker, "Hampton Bays next, Hampton Bays."

8:48 a.m. As we pull into the station, it looks as though we've arrived in New York City. A few commuters get off at the Hampton Bays stop, but about 50 or more board the train. I notice a few men with work boots, one man in a suit, a nurse, a bank teller from BNB and another young woman in a waitress uniform. It's like a party on the train, minus a few Miller Highlifes. As the train pulls away from the station, people begin to sneer, snicker and laugh as we pass by all the standstill traffic in front of Stony Brook Southampton College. I get up to stretch my legs. I ask one of the LIRR employees, whose nametag reads Peter, what he thinks of the new schedule. "I think it's going to work. In a week or so, I think all these cars will be full. The Hamptons has grown in size and it's becoming a little city all its own. Soon Hampton Bays will be called Grand Hampton Central Bay Station, GHCB, or something like that."

8:58 a.m. "Southampton, Southampton," the conductor rang out with enthusiasm. About 30 passengers in my car got off at Southampton, briskly walking toward the two Hampton Jitney shuttles waiting in the parking lot. "Bridgehampton next, Bridgehampton." I notice a twenty-something guy standing near the doors of the train car. He keeps looking down at his watch. He looks either nervous or impatient. To tell you the truth, he looks like he's waiting in traffic. I ask him if he's going to Bridgehampton. "Yeah. But we're supposed to arrive at 9:06. I have to be at work at 9:00. I think we are 7 minutes delayed, too." I say to him that if he were driving, he would probably be stuck near the Omni or the 7-11 right about now. "I'm not worried about being late. I got a $20 bet going with my friend that I'll make it to the store before him. He's on the road."

9:06 a.m. The conductor blows the horn and we arrive at Bridgehampton. I step off the train with ten other people including two women who walk to work at nearby auto shops. Two LIRR employees are there dressed in orange reflector vests to greet us commuters and cordially direct us to the proper busses. The larger school bus is there for anyone who wishes to go to Sag Harbor and be dropped off at places like the Pierson School, Stella Maris School or on Main Street. The smaller bus that I boarded was intended for the hamlet, and its 15-minute trip includes stops such as the Candy Kitchen and Kmart. On the bus I met a woman that works at King Kullen and another that works at Cold Stone Creamery.

9:11 a.m. I get dropped off at the Candy Kitchen on Main Street in Bridgehampton. When I arrive at work, I call my colleague Janine Cheviot to ask where she is on the road. "This is some of the worst traffic I've seen in two years. Before the bottleneck there is a flashing sign that says, 'Avoid CR 39 roadwork, use LIRR shuttle.' After today, I'm going to seriously consider riding the train." Janine arrived at work half an hour after I did. It's definitely a trip I tell her.