C'mon, ride the train ... and leave the booze behind

Train passengers wanting to ring in the new year with a cocktail on the South Shore or Metra on Sunday will have to leave the booze behind.

But nearly every other day of the year, drinking is allowed on the trains, and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Transit Police Chief Robert Byrd said it is becoming increasingly problematic.

This year has been particularly bad in terms of alcohol consumption before boarding and while riding the train, Byrd said, because of a record year for ridership.

"With increased ridership comes increased problems," he said.

Alcohol on the trains is especially bad in the summer months.

"Cubs night games have probably become one of the biggest problems of the year," Byrd said. "They go to the night games, then they go to Wrigleyville and drink and get pretty tanked up, then they get on the train."

While many people think opting to ride the train to and from Chicago to ring in the new year with some holiday spirits might be a safer alternative to driving, those who drove themselves to the train station may still get in their cars and drive home drunk.

"That is a chronic problem, not just on the holiday," Byrd said. "A lot of people are smart drinkers and have designated drivers or have people picking them up from the station. But we do have people who stumble out to their cars and we try to stop them before they get in and start to drive away before it becomes a problem."

Byrd said some of the riders become belligerent with transit officers and conductors who confiscate their alcohol on days when it is banned on the trains.

"We've had people try to grab their beer back from them and try to get in fights," he said. "A few years ago, we had a guy break a beer bottle and threaten to cut another guy with it. The glass bottles are what really become a problem in terms of safety."

As for New Year's Eve, the electric signs at the South Shore stations will carry messages all day reminding passengers that no alcohol is permitted on the trains. Conductors also will be making regular announcements, he said.

The decision this week to move Sunday's Bears game from a day game to a primetime slot also is concerning transit police, who know some fans will be getting on the trains after overdoing it at Soldier Field.

"We'll have officers on the 11:15 p.m. train stopping at Soldier Field to pick up the Bears fans and we'll have officers on the 12:45 a.m. train for the people coming from the two fireworks displays at Buckingham Fountain and Navy Pier," Byrd said.

The South Shore transit officers will be "escorting" passengers who may get out of hand on the trains and making arrests when necessary.

"That's the nice thing about having a police presence," Byrd said. "A lot of the times, the revelry is kept to a minimum. We want everyone to enjoy themselves. If they do get out of control, we will have a conversation with them regarding the type of decorum they are expected to maintain."

Like the South Shore, Metra allows alcohol on trains most every day of the year. The South Shore mirrors Metra's policies for banning alcohol on certain days of the year, including during the Taste of Chicago (including the annual July 3 fireworks display), St. Patrick's Day, some other large festivals in Chicago and New Year's Eve, spokeswoman Meg Reile said.

Reile said she does not know of any specific incidents related to allowing alcohol on the trains, saying conductors and Metra police are trained to deal with problematic passenger.

"Most of our policies are if people have disruptive behavior, are loud or behave inappropriately, they can be put off the train for that," Reile said.

On New Year's Eve, Metra will have two additional employees per car on the trains out of Chicago to deal with any potential problems. They also will work to keep drunken passengers from getting in their cars at the Metra lots and driving home.

"If a person looks like they're really out of hand, our personnel are directed to try to steer them toward another form of transportation for their own safety and that of other travelers," Reile said.