Rowdy, friendly LIRR commuters hold Christmas party on train
About 20 festively dressed revelers gathered in one LIRR car's vestibule, surrounded by strung up decorations, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. Credit: John Feinberg / Instagram
It wasn’t quite the Polar Express, but a holiday party on one Long Island Rail Road train helped spread the Christmas spirit among commuters Wednesday night.
LIRR commuter John Feinberg shared video of the party on board a bi-level train bound for Port Jefferson. About 20 festively dressed revelers gathered in one train car’s vestibule, surrounded by strung up decorations, including lights plugged into an electrical outlet.
“After I got on and sat down, someone else got on the train with a huge bag of food and someone shouted, ‘The wings are here!’ ” said Feinberg, 23, of Mount Sinai, who boarded at Jamaica.
Feinberg said the jolly commuters were loud but courteous, offering passengers and train crew members food and drink. They dispersed at various stations, with the last few partyers cleaning up after themselves at Port Jefferson.
“It seemed like it was a rowdy group of friendly people celebrating their Christmas vacation,” Feinberg said. “It was definitely the most interesting thing I’ve seen on the train.”
LIRR spokesman Aaron Donovan stopped short of giving the rolling Christmas party a “bah humbug.”
“As much as we appreciate their good cheer, we would have encouraged them to hold their party in a more traditional location,” Donovan said.
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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