NJ Transit bans beverages from Belmar St. Patrick’s Day trains

BELMAR — NJ Transit will offer extra rail trips on Sunday for the Belmar St. Patrick’s Day parade but banning all beverages on board all trains.

200,000 people are expected in the Monmouth County town for the annual parade, according to the parade website, which is the unofficial start of the St. Patrick's Day parade schedule.

All beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are banned on Sunday.

Hourly service will be available all day on Sunday between Bay Head and Long Branch for the parade that steps off as 12:30 p.m. on Main Street in Belmar. The 11 extra trains — six southbound and five northbound — will all stop in Belmar.

Southbound service between Long Branch and Bay Head runs between 8:46 a.m. and 10:46 p.m. Northbound service between Bay Head and Long Branch runs between 9:21 a.m. and 9:19 p.m.

Customers traveling from points north of Long Branch, including Newark and New York, should transfer across the platform at the Long Branch station to continue their trip to Belmar.

Service between New York and Long Branch will operate on a regular weekend schedule.

The Ocean County St. Patrick's Day parade steps off on Saturday, March 9 at noon with additional parade in Asbury Park on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. and in Highlands on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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