Metro-North to Provide St. Patrick's Day Special Service

With the 255th St. Patrick’s Day Parade scheduled for Thursday, Metro‐North will ban alcohol to maintain orderly train service, and is planning to run extra trains to help accommodate revelers heading to the parade.

The only scheduled extra train is on the Hudson Line, and won't be picking up anyone in Putnam or Westchester. MTA officials said an extra train will depart from Poughkeepsie at 8:23 a.m. and stop at New Hamburg at 8:32 a.m. and Beacon at 8:41 a.m. before running express to Harlem‐125th Street (arriving at 9:46 a.m.) and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 10:01 a.m.

However, other standby trains will be pre‐ positioned, crewed, and ready to pick up passengers on the Harlem Line and Hudson Lines as demand warrants, officials said.

Ditto in the afternoon, when additional northbound trains will be prepared to run on the Hudson Line, departing Grand Central as demand warrants. Metro‐North staff will be located at key stations observing the number of customers awaiting trains. The railroad is prepared to make minute-by‐minute decisions about when to operate the extra trains.

In addition, MTA officials have banned alcohol.

In an effort to maintain orderly travel for customers, alcoholic beverages will not be permitted on trains, platforms or at stations on March 17. Any alcoholic beverages found by MTA Police on trains, stations and platforms will be confiscated.

To ensure order aboard and to assure that fares are collected, conductors will be posted at Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon to collect tickets before customers board trains. This procedure, called gate collection, is commonly used at Grand Central after other high volume travel days, such as the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the New Year’s Eve ball drop.

Customers should buy round trip tickets in advance at their home stations using ticket machines and ticket offices. (Special machines are being installed for the day at Beacon in theunderpass.) Because large crowds are expected, customers should get to the station early to tickets.

For more details, go to the schedules page or call Metro‐North’s Customer Service Center at 511. In Connecticut, call 877‐690‐5114.