Riding Local: The Hamptons by Rail
With eight South Fork stops, the Long Island Rail Road might just be the ultimate hack to summer traffic — not just to get here, but to bop around once you are. Here’s a station-by-station guide to riding the rails out east.
It’s the perfect late-summer afternoon. You hop in your car, crank the A/C, and plug your next stop into the nav. Then, the bomb drops: one full hour to your destination. You wonder if there’s a glitch, doubting how a 12-mile drive could possibly take so long. The Pumpkintown Bypass can’t bail you out of this one. There’s a red line down Head of Pond Road — Scuttle Hole, too. Even the craftiest backroad zig-zagging will at best shuck off a single-digit number of minutes. Your soul is crushed like a banana in a Four Oaks smoothie, and no amount of Levain chocolate chunk walnut cookies can make the feeling go away.
Rideshares slog through the same traffic on the same roads. So does the Jitney, the Ambassador, and the Hopper. What’s one to do? Hang a lucky horseshoe crab on your rear-view mirror? Pray to your dashboard Dan Rattiner? Don’t beat yourself in the head with an ear of Balsam Farms corn. There’s another way to go from town to town in the Hamptons, and it’s one of the oldest in the book: the train.
There are (8) LIRR stations on the South Fork, and almost all of them are downtown-adjacent, meaning you can reach restaurants, hotels, and even beaches without ever needing a car — no gridlock, no surge pricing. Add a bike, scooter, or other last-mile transportation into the equation and the destinations become limitless. Even better: Once you’re past Speonk, the remaining seven fall in a single fare zone, meaning you can ride between any two stops from Westhampton to Montauk for just $3.75 each way or a $6.75 day pass. Though Montauk trains don’t always run with commuter-train regularity, service has become frequent enough to make them a viable alternative when you just can’t even with Montauk Highway, particularly if you’re planning to stay where you’re going for a good amount of time.
Then there’s the scenery. Instead of playing stop-go on the road, you’ll fly past woods, waters, and meadows — over boats in the Shinnecock Canal, through the pine barrens of Napeague, and skirting the edge of Hither Hills, a prelude to wide-aperture water views on your final approach to Montauk. Forget claiming shotgun; on this ride, it’s all about getting a window seat on the upper level, just the ticket for the peace of mind you came here for in the first place.
So relax, hop aboard, and be sure to activate your ticket before boarding. Let’s highball east on the local.
Share sourdough pancakes for the table at Little Gull Café.
Speonk
Though it doesn’t end in “-hampton” and sounds like the noise a goose makes, Speonk is the westernmost LIRR station in the Hamptons and an important division point on the railroad, with a big train yard to prove it. More than a stop for Montauk-bound locals, it’s also the end of the line for everyday commute trains through suburban Suffolk County, giving Speonk more scheduled westbound departures than anywhere else out east. Those additional options can be the difference in getting you an extra hour of Sunday beach time, which is why many heading back to the city choose to train out from Speonk. Riding east from here runs you a nominally higher fare, but there are two free, unrestricted parking lots, making Speonk an ideal starting point for day-trippers looking to ditch their cars and avoid 27 East for the rest of their journey.
Convenience isn’t the only attraction to Speonk station: In the historic 1901 depot, you’ll find Little Gull, a charming all-day café spotlighting local purveyors and pouring out one of the best craft beer lists for miles.
Catch world-class talent at The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center.
Westhampton
As the frequent flyers know, Westhampton is the first stop on the Cannonball, the LIRR’s seasonal express stopping only at Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Montauk, and right here. Though it’s a little ways from town out by Gabreski Airport, Westhampton station is still just a few minutes from the hub of Westhampton Beach by bike or car. If you’re arriving on two wheels, the station offers bike racks and lockers to leave them behind — that is, if you’re not taking them aboard. (Bikes are typically allowed on all LIRR trains with some restrictions). Some nearby hotels, like Three Ducks and Seven Beach Lane, even offer complimentary bike rentals for guests, making it easy to pedal over without breaking too much of a sweat.
If you’re based farther east and looking to get in on Westhampton’s burgeoning restaurant scene, which recently welcomed cult-classic Upper East Side steakhouse Donohue’s, or catch a show at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, taking the train is your cheat code to avoid the rush hour “trade parade” and still claim your dinner resy on time. Per the current timetable, a 5:26 from Bridgehampton will have you there in half an hour flat, leaving plenty of time for dinner at Ivy, a nice Main Street stroll, and a nightcap at One Trick Pony or Sunset Social Club before catching the 10:33 eastbound home.
Canoe Place Inn & Cottages offers house-car train pickups and shared bikes for guests.
Hampton Bays
With frontage on the Atlantic Ocean, Peconic and Shinnecock bays, and the Shinnecock Canal, Hampton Bays as a whole can feel spread out at times. Its train station, however, is as central as they come, situated dead-center in the main business district where Ponquogue Avenue crosses the tracks. Within the span of a few blocks, you can cruise antiques in town, catch a Thursday night concert at Good Ground Park, shoot pool with a cold pint at the Rod & Reel Tavern (est. 1945), or grab a fresh slice at Francesca’s before biking over the bridge out to the beach.
Once you arrive, it’s less than two miles to Canoe Place Inn, waterside restaurants like Cowfish and Rumba, and marinas. Go a wee bit farther for laid-back hangs by the ocean, like the Beach Bar, Whale’s Tale, and the Station, along with chic boutique hotels like the Inn Spot and Lark Hotels’ just-opened Penny Lane Hotel.
Pro tip: If your train has the Cannonball drumhead on the front, it’s not the local.
Southampton
Southampton station is befitting of the place it serves, welcoming you with the elegance you’d expect from the oldest village in the Hamptons. The c. 1902 depot, clad with thousands of stuccoed-in oyster shells, still retains its original waiting room, replete with a working fireplace and antique benches that leave you helpless not to wonder what notable characters in history once sat upon them decrying the transfer at Jamaica.
It’s just about half a mile from Station Plaza to the village, though there’s a fair amount worth noting in between. T-Bar and Southampton Social Club sit right past the edge of the platform. If you’re sticking to the sidewalks, break up the journey with a stop at the famed Tate’s Bake Shop — a short detour on the stroll to town. To get there quicker, Circuit runs app-based electric shuttles that whip you between Southampton station, Main Street, and Cooper’s Beach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Dia Bridgehampton is but a brief stroll from the train station.
Bridgehampton
Bridgehampton’s train station, like Southampton’s, sits an even half-mile from the main drag, and it’s just a straight shot down Corwith Ave. to get there. As an added perk for morning riders, Java Nation, the beloved longstanding coffee roaster, is right next door.
Too cloudy for the beach? Head to Dia Bridgehampton, established by artist Dan Flavin in a c. 1909 Shingle-Style firehouse. Looking for a night out on the town? You’ve got Elaia Estiatorio, Bobby Van’s, and Dopo il Ponte on one end and Almond, Pierre’s, and Topping Rose on the other. Bound for Sag Harbor? Though a train hasn’t connected the two towns since 1939 — there was once a branch line between them — you can still take the Hampton Hopper, which runs regular shuttles throughout the season.
Camp Rubirosa, a summery outpost of the Mulberry Street staple.
East Hampton
East Hampton station sits just 0.3 miles (or roughly the distance of two Manhattan avenues) from the heart of the village and just under two from Main Beach. Camp Rubirosa is basically next door, with Sant Ambroeus a few blocks away. Chic hotels, like Maidstone and the Hedges Inn, are an easy jaunt. And just like Southampton, Circuit shuttles run 10-6 between town, train, and the beach, making it easy to get where you need to go.
If you’re a weekend warrior looking to cover a lot of ground, the station’s proximity also makes it easy to hop a train in either direction to mix up the vibes. Travel times by rail — as few as 19 minutes from Southampton and 25 from Montauk — are easily competitive with 27 East, and you’ll never have to worry about finding a parking spot at the other end.
Doubles, one of several foodie destinations on the village green.
Amagansett
Where else in the Hamptons can you find top-shelf Caribbean food, a proper record store, and one of the most famous live music venues in the country (if not the world) all in one place? And we haven’t even mentioned the beaches…
LIRR’s Amagansett stop sits right on the outskirts of the village, conveniently close to Stephen Talkhouse, restaurants like Rosie’s and Il Buco, and the kaleidoscopic line-up of shops and boutiques on the Square. And when you’re ready for more, an eastbound to Montauk is just a scenic 20-minute ride, featuring spectacular vistas of golf greens, storied farmland, Clam Bar, and finally Fort Pond Bay. Pro tip: Load up the beach bag at Amber Waves Farm on your way there, or make the entire car jealous of your trendy grab-and-go train lunch.
Yes, Virginia — this train reaches the beaches.
Montauk
To paraphrase the Traveling Wilburys, at the end of the line, it’s all right riding around in the summer breeze — most especially when you live the life you please.
Other than being the best way you’ve never taken to Surf Lodge (0.4 miles), a train ride into Montauk will also bring you right near favorites like Duryea’s (0.3 miles) and the Montauket (0.6 miles). For anywhere else, the Hampton Hopper runs a free shuttle throughout town, connecting places like Hither Hills, Gurney’s, Gosman’s, and Kirk Park Beach.
Sometimes the end really is just the beginning.
