New Hampshire’s Republican governor is promising to act after learning Amtrak Downeaster riders may be faced with a sober jaunt across his state.
“Not happening. First drinks are on me,” Gov. Chris Sununu tweeted Wednesday morning, without elaborating on a specific policy proposal.
During a recent audit, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission discovered the Amtrak Downeaster was violating a state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol not purchased in the state, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The Downeaster, operated by the New England Passenger Rail Authority, serves beer, liquor and mixed drinks along its 145-mile run from Brunswick to Boston, and Massachusetts-based NexDine Hospitality, which manages the Downeaster’s food and drink service, buys its alcohol in Maine, the Associated Press reported.
NexDine “inadvertently” revealed it violated the law while renewing its license to serve alcohol on the Downeaster, according to the liquor commission.
Downeaster riders faced possible minor inconvenience from not being able to buy alcohol during the train’s 40-minute trip through New Hampshire starting March 20. But the liquor commission now says alcohol sales can continue while it explores a “creative solution,” the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The Downeaster makes three stops — in Dover, Durham and Exeter — on its 35-mile leg through New Hampshire.