After reading a very interesting article in the TRANSPORTATION section of the Chicago Tribune about bar cars this morning, I though I would share a neat web site with all of you. When I lived in NY and commuted on Metro North (back then it was only Penn Central) I would occasionally ride in the bar car or catch a beer from one of the platform bar carts, and now live in metro Chicago and ride Metra now and then, but have not heard of bar cars on Metra (are there any?). Enjoy www.barcar.com
Jim
metra is a commuter train, not sure they would make a lot of money with a cafe car…
I doubt they could do it Legally due to Liquor License restrictions of various Municipalities.
Metro North is also a commuter train that runs through many individual municipalites and they still have a bar car on many of their longer distance trains, so where’s the difference?
Interstate,travel time,distance and number of passengers? I believe the various Liquor Licencensing regulations would prohibit the sale on Metra Trains. Public consumption
is also prohibited in some communities.
Or perhaps Metra would not want to put up with the rowdiness of inebriated passengers [:(!]
Metra is not long distance.
Metra is not long distance.
Big push to get the bar carts off the LIRR and MNRR because of an incident where an underage girl was drinking prior to riding an LIRR train and fell thru a gap at the Stoneybrook station. She basically was told to stay where she was and ended up walking in front of another LIRR train. NY wants to ban the bar cars however the state of CT wants to keep them.
You can buy an alcoholic beverage prior to riding a Metra train and drink it however it is not sold on any Metra train. However they do have bar cars from their prior service with the CB&Q and CNW trains.
Metra had/has bar service on some trains. I haven’t comuted on Metra for about 20 months now, so I’m not certain they’re still there.
I know one was on the Rock Island route and I believe the other I knew about was on the UP line to Harvard. But, as stated, the standard on Metra is to buy a drink in the station and take it with you. I think it’s technically illegal because the bar is licensed only to sell alcohol consumed on its premises.
I’d generally treat myself and buy a drink “to go” on Fridays.
[#dots] It is becoming more obvious that some folks simply do not read some posts thoroughly or can not comprehend what is written. I did not say Metra was a long distance train service (i.e. Amtrak), but rather said I was not sure if Metra had bar cars on their “longer distance” trains (i.e. those into Wisconsin to Kenosha or up the U.P. Northwest line to Harvard, etc., which are over fifty or sixty miles). Also, Metro North is reported to have noted that there are few, if any, incidents of rowdiness on their train bar cars and I expect the same would occur on Metra. May I respectfully suggest that some of you either completely read the posts submitted by the rest of us, or perhaps simply read them thoroughly and do your best to comprehend the words contained.
Pretty bad when a guy can’t even go an hour’s trainride with out a drink in his hand. Especially on a commuter line.
Great, show up on the job with a couple fresh snorts under the old belt, ready for work… I guess that way at least the hard cases might be able to last till lunch before the shakes take over again.
Since you reference my comment immediately before your respectful suggestion, it would appear that you include myself in your comment, however I cannot recall seeing any previous mention being made about the potential problems caused by rowdiness.
Just because Metro North has no problems with rowdiness, does not mean that Metra would not take that potential into consideration when making a decision on the issue.
Or maybe rowdiness is not an issue at all.
No Datafever, I was not referring to you at all.
That’s good to know, eolafan, although I must admit that I have made a couple of “off the wall” comments myself. [:-^]
OK, let me explain. It’s coffee in, hootch out.
It’s been common for people to set up in Metra stations during the morning selling coffee, pastry, newspapers, etc. I’ve seen large thermoses on a bench, catering trucks, etc. Sometimes, this got formalized into an actual “place of business” in the station.
Again, I no longer ride Metra - so I don’t know if there’s been a “crack down” on these informal business operations.
If you buy the alcohol, you buy it going home, not going into work. Of course, this does mean that people are getting in their cars at the station after having consumed alcohol. But that’s a bigger issue. In any event, I have never seen a comuter train “bar car” selling alcohol in the morning.
I dont commute on metra, but I take it from Aurora to Chicago for events and such. from what I understand from the conductors is that alcohol is allowed at the conductors descretion. As long as noone complaining, or your being biligerent, ect., ect., not a problem.Its only 30-50 minutes, depending on the schedule. Most problems are caused from people arlready blitz and pissed
before they even get on board, not those slaming a 40 or sippin’ a rum & coke in a taco bell cup.
I haven’t seen it mentioned -
Does Metra even have a snack car or such where non-alcoholic beverages are served?
Catch a train home after an afternoon Cubs game and you’ll be with a few who’ve had a few. 'Course, the Cubs probably lost big time - which don’t make 'em happy.
Yes, at least they did when I last rode.
Bottled water, ice tea, coffee, diet soda, etc. were all avaialble. It’s all part of the Chicago Experience. Of course, the Cubs Fans just drank hard liquor and anoyed every civilized person aboard the train.