The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently announced that they are starting a pilot program that will ban the consumption of alcohol on overnight weekend trains on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) out of Penn Station.
The ban is an attempt to curb what has been referred to as "rambunctious behavior" by the MTA.
The affected trains – commonly known as "drunk trains" – are those that run between midnight and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The ban begins May 14.
"There is rambunctious behavior on these weekend overnight trains, and this is an effort to curb that and set a better tone on those trains," MTA spokesman Sam Zambuto told The Daily News.
According to the New York Times, in March, passengers were accused of attacking two conductors.
There are numerous YouTube videos that have been posted involving loud behavior, often ending inviolent fights on eastbound trains to Long Island. [Warning: Viewer discretion is advised. Videos contain graphic content].
