Chug, Ride, Chat: Introducing Metro-North's New Bar Car

Commuters to and from New York and Connecticut who enjoy their ride with a side of six-pack will now be able to rest easy: the bar car is here to stay. And, in fact, it's getting a face-lift.

According to tentative Metro-North plans cited by The Wall Street Journal, the new cars serving booze in transit will contain "four banquette-style tables and three round tables," a configuration which will likely satisfy those who enjoy their alcoholic beverages seated in pleather booths, but is not being welcomed by those who prefer to "stand and around and talk [while they booze], and not be sitting in tiny groups of four," according to Connecticut Rail Commuter Council Vice Chair Terri Cronin.

Cronin is adamant that replacing mosh-pit-like spaces with seats would be a huge mistake. As it is, the bar car "is like a big group party," she says. "You end up talking toall these people you never would have talked to if you were sitting inall these little social pods everywhere."

So it's a good thing for Cronin (and others who share her drinking preferences) that Metro-North is still considering other car configurations before it makes any permanent design decisions.