In a move to curb rowdy passengers from disturbing the peace aboard the Long Island Railroad, the railroad has announced a trial ban on weekend drinking during the party hours of 12AM-5AM on Friday and Saturday nights.
LIRR president Helena Williams announced on Monday:
We think that [alcohol] continues to fuel some of the rambunctious behavior we've been getting, all the way up to criminal behavior. We're just trying to get a different tone on the trains that lessens these incidents.
LIRR officials also say the program is intended to protect transit workers, as two recent assaults on LIRR employees pushed railroad officials to take action. The city's subway system has also witnessed a similarly disturbing trend, with a 16 percent rise in attacks on subway workers reported back in November.
In 2010, the LIRR started a ban on alcohol for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, also classily referred to as "Blackout Wednesday," the biggest suburban party night of the year (duh). The evening is known for the raucous drinking aboard trains, as the bridge and tunnel folk ride out of the city and prepare to rage in their hometowns.
The pilot program will go into effect May 14 and MTA police officers are scheduled to be on hand, breaking the news to unaware passengers that they're styrofoam cups and jager shots need to be trashed.
Watch our collection of the very best LIRR drunkards, heavy accents and feuds included:
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