Last call: MTA phasing out bar carts on LIRR platforms
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The MTA is phasing out its bar carts on Long Island Rail Road platforms, its final train service to lose the track-side alcohol service.
Five bar carts at Penn Station, along with one each at the Jamaica Station, Atlantic Terminal and Hunterspoint Avenue, will end March 27.
Bar cars were eliminated for Metro North at Grand Central back in December 2016.
The MTA released this statement:
"This service was subject to various reviews that led us to conclude that it's not our core competency and that we should stay focused on providing safe and reliable transportation. Other retailers meet this market."
The decision was made with little public notification. The bartenders began telling their customers on Friday afternoon.
It didn't even come up in Monday morning's LIRR Committee meeting. There was apparently too much other material to discuss.
Officials say the employees, some who have worked on the platforms for decades, will transfer to train maintenance jobs.
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