Metro North Bar Car

[Amfleet]

I remember reading somewhere that Metro North has Bar/Lounge cars where passengers can by drinks and relax. Are these still around? If so what trains to they run on? What type of equipment are they in? Just to clarify, I'm not talking about the "Parlor Car" on LIRR.

 

[AlanB]

The cars are still around. In fact MetroNorth/The State of Conneticut have just decided to renovate the cars. The cars however only see service on the New Haven line. They are not used on either the Hudson nor the Harlem.

I just saw a recent story, which I'll try to find again and post a link.

 

[Amfleet]

Just did a Google search and ran across this article. Was this the story you were looking for?

 

[AlanB]

Nope that wasn't the one, although it's a nice article. The one that I saw also mentioned that a plan had been approved for refurbishing the cars.

 

[AlanB]

I found it!

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has renewed its commitment to keeping Metro-North Railroad's fleet of 10 bar cars rolling. The state will fund the renovation of the nearly 30-year-old bar cars as part of the complete overhaul of the first-generation M-series fleet, Bureau of Public Transportation Chief Harry Harris wrote in a letter last week to Metro-North President Peter Cannito.

You can read the full story from Railpace Hot News.

Note: I can't directly link to the actual article because of the way they post stories. You can either scroll about halfway down the page or try the following. If you are using Internet Explorer, click on "Edit" and then pick "Find" from the drop down menu. Type in "bar car" on the "find what" line, make sure that down is checked and then click "find next". It will take you directly to the story.

 

[AlanB]

You take a right at the martini sign and a step back in time when you walk into a bar car on the Metro-North Railroad, according to a New York Times report.

There is also an older article on the bar cars from the UTU's web site. You can read the whole story by clicking here.

Also thanks to Prodigy's On Track On Line for finding this story originally.

 

[Viewliner]

Any way to tell what trains on the New Haven Line the cars operate on?

 

[Amfleet]

Thanks for the link. Glad to know such a rare and interesting car will not be going away. It is also a calming to know that commuters are not hooked on Starbucks and rather have a cold drink on the way home.

 

[AlanB]

Any way to tell what trains on the New Haven Line the cars operate on?

Yes there is. They even mention it in one of the articles. You simply pick up a New Haven line schedule and look for the little martini glass next to the PM above the departure time from GCT.

 

[Viewliner]

Thanks, do they have non-alcoholic drinks?

 

[Amfleet]

Thanks, do they have non-alcoholic drinks?

In the photos I saw here there seemed to be some bottles of water and soda at the bar. For snacks it seems there is only bags of potato chips.

 

[Viewliner]

Thanks for the link, I'd like to ride in one of those some times.

 

[Amfleet]

Maybe I'll rent one out for my 21st Birthday (doubt they'll allow me to do that).

 

[battalion51]

You'd probably be better off trying to charter an Amfleet Lounge car. The scenery would be better anyway, who would want to just ride around MNRR lines drinking for the heck of it (it's one thing if you're commuting).

 

[Amfleet]

Well this is considered a rare and famous species for commuter trains around the country. Your right though, and Amfleet Lounge would be better, but then I would probably just rent out private car.

 

[tp49]

Yes, they serve non-alcoholic drinks in the bar cars. The LIRR does not have anymore dedicated "Parlour Cars" of they type I remember from my youth (you could always tell them as they had an orange or red stripe instead of blue on the side). Now they just use bar wagons of the type they have on the platforms at NYP and Jamacia. I think this is even true of the Cannonball to the Hamptons on Fridays during the summer.

 

[AlanB]

The LIRR does not have anymore dedicated "Parlour Cars" of they type I remember from my youth (you could always tell them as they had an orange or red stripe instead of blue on the side).  Now they just use bar wagons of the type they have on the platforms at NYP and Jamacia.  I think this is even true of the Cannonball to the Hamptons on Fridays during the summer.

While I'm not sure how they go about serving drinks and stuff, I do know that the LIRR still does offer Parlor Cars or as they call it the Hamptons Reserve Service. It is only offered during the summer months, and only to the Hamptons. It costs 17.50 more than the normal train fare to the Hamptons to ride in these cars. Coming west on Monday's it's only an extra 12.25 to ride.

According to the timetable the Parlor cars still have a red stripe, whereas the normal cars run with a blue stripe. One must make reservations and receive a special ticket to ride in the Parlor car.

I actually have been thinking of trying out this service come the summer.