No alcohol on Metra this weekend — and maybe no bikes, either

If you’re planning to ride Metra to the Chicago Blues Festival or Spring Awakening this weekend, plan to do your drinking beforehand. The transit agency will ban alcohol starting Friday night.

And the agency also is warning riders that bicycles may not be allowed if trains get too crowded.

The no-alcohol policy on trains system-wide will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, then continue all day Saturday and Sunday, a statement from Metra said.

Such bans are nothing new. Metra has banned alcohol on trains for many events expected to draw big crowds, from last year’s World Cup viewing parties to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade earlier this year.

And if the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup again, you can probably expect a similar ban the day of the victory parade.

The bans are implemented because of larger-than-normal numbers of commuters expected to ride trains to and from big events.

You might also want to leave your bike at home, because Metra is warning riders you may not be able to take your bicycles on the train when things get especially crowded during the busy weekend.

Last year, Metra revised its bicycle policy to replace bans during exceptionally busy periods with “warning dates,” when bicycles “generally are allowed but owners are cautioned that there is an increased likelihood that bicycles cannot be accommodated,” a statement from Metra said.