Associated Press

Live Free or Dry: No Buying Booze on Amtrak in New Hampshire

AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File
Amtrak’s Downeaster train, headed from Boston to Portland, Maine, pulls out of the station in Haverhill, Mass., July 10, 2012.

10:30 JST, March 8, 2023

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Riders on an Amtrak train that runs from Maine to Boston will soon have to hold off on buying alcoholic beverages during the 35-mile stretch of the trip that goes through New Hampshire.

The Amtrak Downeaster takes passengers 145 miles from Brunswick, Maine, to Boston. The train includes a cafe car that serves alcohol.

However, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission has told the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority that the train can’t serve alcohol during the New Hampshire portion of the journey.

The change is set to go on the books on March 20, the Portland Press Herald reported. It stems from a New Hampshire law that forbids the serving of alcohol that hasn’t been purchased in the state.

The company that provides the train’s food and beverage service, Mansfield, Massachusetts-based NexDine Hospitality, buys its alcoholic drinks in Maine for the 145-mile route, the newspaper reported.

The train brings hundreds of thousands of passengers to Boston every year, and its advertising sometimes plays up the ability to relax with a drink during the ride. It’s a popular alternative for sports and concerts because it terminates steps from TD Garden, one of New England’s biggest performance venues.