Metro-North Issues St. Patrick’s Day Booze Ban

Irish eyes will be smiling throughout the area during St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, though not as much on any Metro-North Railroad lines, where booze is banned on one of the busiest drinking days of the year.

Alcohol has been banned on Metro-North trains for St. Patricks Day.
Photo Credit: *Wikimedia Commons*

Zak Failla

03/17/2018 5:30 a.m.

Alcohol will be banned on St. Patrick’s Day, Metro-North announced this week, marking one of the few days of the year where they prohibit consumption of alcohol, including New Year’s Eve and SantaCon in December.

“Alcoholic beverages will not be permitted on trains, platforms, or stations,” according to Metro-North. “Any alcoholic beverage observed or found will be confiscated by MTA police. People violating the ban could also get a ticket that carries a fine.”

To accommodate the expected increase in travelers planning to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set to begin at 11 a.m., Metro-North will operate on a weekday schedule, with an extra train on the Hudson Line departing Poughkeepsie at 8:23 a.m., stopping at New Hamburg and Beacon before going directly to Grand Central Terminal.

Officials said that customers can expect very crowded trains, noting that those planning on heading into Manhattan should do so before 8:30 a.m. or after noon. Those heading out of the city will see the busiest trains between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

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