Thousands signed up and showed up for a serious party when the London underground turned into the Booze Tube Saturday night in a massive last toast before the train system officially bans booze Sunday by order of London's new mayor, a move that some say will create trouble for transit workers who will have to become enforcers.
The ban's certainly starting with a bit o' trouble, as a few of the many folks having a gay old time underground were apparently arrested and a few enforcers assaulted; as well, overcrowding and the general difficulty associated with massive revelry reportedly resulted in several stations, like Liverpool Street and Baker Street, being shut down.
Videos of the action are popping up now, if you want to see the scene (imagine being newly arrived, not speaking the language, and finding a kajillion costumed crazies going gaga when you head into the subway...). It never crossed my mind to booze it up on the London tube when it was legal -- I'm always too busy watching for my station and people-watching. Guess I missed the train!
Related reading: All About the London Tube | London Guide for Student Travelers
Photo © Transport for London | London Booze Tube YouTube Video - Circle Line Party: mastersimonwong
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The ban's certainly starting with a bit o' trouble, as a few of the many folks having a gay old time underground were apparently arrested and a few enforcers assaulted; as well, overcrowding and the general difficulty associated with massive revelry reportedly resulted in several stations, like Liverpool Street and Baker Street, being shut down.
Videos of the action are popping up now, if you want to see the scene (imagine being newly arrived, not speaking the language, and finding a kajillion costumed crazies going gaga when you head into the subway...). It never crossed my mind to booze it up on the London tube when it was legal -- I'm always too busy watching for my station and people-watching. Guess I missed the train!
Related reading: All About the London Tube | London Guide for Student Travelers
Photo © Transport for London | London Booze Tube YouTube Video - Circle Line Party: mastersimonwong
Student Travel blog home
The number of people causing trouble was very small, most people were just having a good time. The stations were closed because of overcrowding, a lot more people turned up than these stations could safely take. The station closures just made people spread out and enter via other stations rather than concentrating on the key ones.
Ironically enough, if Boris hadn’t banned alcohol he wouldn’t be having this problem, sticking up posters everywhere announcing the ban was just inviting a large party on the eve of the ban.
Drinking on the tube has never really been a problem, apart from events like yesterday where people are staying on the tube for hours the troublemakers usually get drunk before they get on the train. No ban will stop that and if you ban drunk people from the tube then people will drink and drive which would be a disaster.
>> if you ban drunk people from the tube then people will drink and drive which would be a disaster <<
Good point!!!!!!! seems like some silly politics indeed.
London is more like a police state and the BBC reporting so biased you would think that Al quaeda were on the board & London Council what ever they call it now. Only lived here 30 years. Can’t smoke or drink but you can wear a burkha. 24 hr licencing which is non-existent because no-one can get the licence. Derh? Go figure Mr Blair/Brown and friends. Hope the payoffs are maintaining you this place is dry dull hyper-expensive dreary AND a bore. We don’t have a national identity but we do have a multi-cultural personality disorder. Drink to that!