Can I drink alcohol on intercity trains these days?

Raoul Duke III

If I'm travelling next weekend (group of 4 of us), am I allowed bring a couple of bottles of wine and consume onboard? In a suitably responsible way of course.

i.e. will anyone care, including train staff.

Thanks!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058221227/can-i-drink-alcohol-on-intercity-trains-these-days

literally a 5 second google search

Computer says NO

Latest update - 11 October 2021

• Alcohol is prohibited on all services.

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/covid-19-update

lord lucan

Alcohol is banned on all services at the moment,if there's a CSO on the train they will tell you to put it away or possibly take it from you.

Raoul Duke III

Thanks both.

Darc19

You may be responsible, but unfortunately there are a huge number of scumbags on the trains that make it a trip from hell especially on weekends, that has seen a full and stringent ban on alcohol on board.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270129#Comment_118270129

We're too old to be bothered acting the eejit.

You can hop on any train in Europe and be trusted to behave yourself. Pity a small minority here penalises the rest of us.

mickdw

Yep it's a pity but I'd happily go with the ban if it makes the difference between people being able to travel safely versus being harassed by drunken idiots.

Spanish Eyes

Does anyone check to see if passengers have bottles/cans on boarding the train? I have never seen anyone official on board apart from the trolley staff, and occasionally a ticket checker at intermediate stops. So who checks or challenges anyone?

Strumms

It’s a pity we have so many numerous numb-sculls in this country though ruining it for the rest of us as well as well as no sort of deterrent from the law.

get on a TGV, Eurostar, Renfe, you can bring on alcohol, purchase onboard , people do, ive done... a nice way to relax and wind down...

Regulations need to be tailored for the clientele and risk assessments carried out obviously prohibits it.

thomas 123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270171#Comment_118270171

No its up to the passengers to call a helpline, then the cops are at the next stop. Only in Ireland...

For the short flight ticket price you would expect at least a steward etc.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270258#Comment_118270258

You can buy or drink your own on UK trains too and they have all the same social problems we have. They are generally way more open then we are about licencing law in regards to trains, parks, cafes, late drinking etc.

I bet if Irish trains had the huge passenger numbers the continental and UK trains have then EI wouldn't be long reopening the buffet cars to sell booze

thefallingman

I’ve seen lads using a brown bag, problem solved

lord lucan

Just to clarify, alcohol is banned on all services at the moment due to covid,same reason there's no onboard catering.

In normal times alcohol is allowed and sold onboard with the exception of certain services such as Waterford and Galway on Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270403#Comment_118270403

Is it really just a covid thing ?

If so I stand corrected.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270129#Comment_118270129

So they ban the alcohol and let the scummy behaviour continue

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270473#Comment_118270473

They also let the drinking of alcohol continue most of the time from what I have seen. It's just officially banned

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270531#Comment_118270531

So the scammers drink away while decent people like the OP can't. Typical

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270631#Comment_118270631

Or the OP could just have a drink too.

Worst will happen is you will be told to stick it in a bin. I've seen plenty of nice normal not scobes drinking on the train

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271086#Comment_118271086

The op wants to follow the rules. It is just those that don't care about the rules that get to do what they want. The same guys were having their house parties while everyone else was in lockdown.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271092#Comment_118271092

Everyone thinks that it's everyone else breaking the law.

My neighbours had parties, I just had a few illegal guests.

Everyone else illegally parks, I just pop into the shops for a second

I only go 5kph above the limit.

When I beg the barman to serve past legal closing time it's different

Jamie2k9

Is it really just a covid thing ?

If so I stand corrected.

Yes just Covid, in theory you cannot eat or drink anything on the train because face coverings are required. IE were the only place able to sell alcohol on Good Friday for many years once you had a train ticket...

Alcohol is sold on most services apart from certain weekend exceptions though due to a complete ban which isn't strictly enforced. Years ago you would often have it confiscated (i.e. if you want to stay on the train and have it returned at destination) on banned services but this doesn't happen anymore and you would need to be really bad to have guards remove you.

In the summer there was a group drinking on a train and someone tweeted Irish Rail who informed Control who informed the driver who got out to find the CSO to ask them to move carriages and continue drinking. How do I know, because they moved to my carriage and asked if I mind them drinking and said about the tweet. I then looked up the tweet and asked the CSO who confirmed. I had just assumed the driver running down the platform was to fix a door issue.

This is the level of "enforcement" applied within IE...

Now an area of confusion is your not allowed on DART/Commuter trains however aside from enforcement issues I am not sure if this is underpinned legally.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270631#Comment_118270631

Shur twill be grand.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118276451#Comment_118276451

Actually, that seemed to be the prevailing mood. Plenty of booze being consumed on the train up and down although I didn't see any rowdiness. Must confess we joined in.

No sign of any staff caring one way or the other!

whisky_galore

If you're not acting like an a-hole annoying other people, a blind eye will be turned.

bob425

On a recent journey to Sligo , the checker was strict about it. No Drinking ! I suppose it really depends on the checkers.

cbreeze

I think you can only remove your mask to take medication, not any kind of other food or drink.

Board Walker

We were drinking after the last Saturday Ireland match in the Aviva. It was September on the special train. nothing was said to us and we weren't the only ones but we weren't making much noise either.

L1011

Irish Rail have renewed their liquor licence for the trains for the first time since the pandemic started - I'd see this as a sign that onboard service is to resume.

Economics101

The real problem with drinking on Trains is because of people bringing their own booze on board. IE should allow drinking of alcohol which has been bought on the train. Mind you, one of the few benefits of minimum unit pricing is likely to make bring ultra-cheap slabs onto trains less affordable.

Board Walker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118732701#Comment_118732701

Minimum pricing does not effect the price of alcohol on the train as its so expensive.

Economics101

Sorry I meant to say "brought onto the train" not "bought on the train".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118732701#Comment_118732701

Yeah, screw anyone having the gall to be poor and having the temerity to bring their own booze on board. Alcohol should be restricted to those who can afford a €5 can of warm cider or over-priced bottle of Pimms from the food carriage. Leave the riff-raff to drink their dutch gold in the ditches like the vermin they are.

The issue with drinking on the train comes down to the same thing it always does with IE and train travel in Ireland.....unfit management. They're too cheap and/or lazy to bother their bollocks doing anything that involves improving the customer experience, especially spending money.

People being D&D on the train? Ban alcohol

People with reserved seats being intimidated by others who've grabbed their seat? Ignore them, they'll sit elsewhere

Guy working the shop can't make it in? No catering service whatsoever on that train

Each train should have a minimum of 4 staff working them: Driver, Ticket/seat checker, catering personnel, security guard. On busier trains you could add a 5th as a mobile catering person with the trolley. The prices are high enough to cover the extra €15 per hour or whatever it costs, you'd make that back on refreshments anyway.

Every ticket should have an assigned seat, like an airplane.

If you're too late, you'll have to stand, no exceptions.

If you're too drunk, you get booted out by security.

If you're in the wrong seat, the seat checker tells you to GTFO or the security guard gets involved.

It's not like every other civilised country on the planet hasn't figured this stuff out already.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118752324#Comment_118752324

Did you also then mean shouldn't? Unclear what your point is

Economics101

Sorry, if I was not clear: hazards of posting in a hurry. I meant to say that IE should only allow consumption of alcohol actually purchased on the train, and not stuff bought elsewhere and brought onto the train.

I know this has annoyed one poster, but after all I don't think my local pub would allow me to bring a slab of (relatively) cheap off-licence beer into the premises. Same goes for trains.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118761730#Comment_118761730

No, no, you were perfectly clear and understandable. Just because someone disagrees with you and points out the flaws in your elitist thinking, tdoesn't mean they didn't understand you. IT just mean they think you're wrong. Also, I'm not sure who you think you've annoyed either, but it certainly isn't me.

What your suggesting is exactly what I was talking about in my previous post. Instead of addressing the problem, and identifying & punishing the offenders, you want them to punish everybody equally by forcing them to pay over-the-odds for no real discernible reason. It's the same as the Irish government's approach of "Instead of facing the issues head on, we'll make it more expensive and the issues will stop". This is flawed logic.

Tell me, why should you not be allowed bring your own booze on a train? What's the end goal? To stop anti-social behaviour? Why do you think that only cheap beer causes this? People are just as rowdy whether they bought their beer for €1 or for €5. Making it more expensive isn't gonna stop the majority of idiots

And you've conveniently skipped over the questions put to you previously. What about people who can't afford to spend over the odds for beer? Students and OAPs should be restricted from drinking on the trains because they sell cans for a fiver and €10 is too much for two cans when on a budget? Screw them, they should have had the foresight to not be poor, I suppose?

There is a huge difference between the pub and train in your little analogy. I suspect you know this, though, so I'll save my breath and refrain from pointing out the obvious. I mean, for starters, why not ban alcohol on trains altogether, if you want to follow your logic to it's conclusion?

Demonique

Im on social welfare and I think you should not be allowed to bring your own alcohol onboard, people who cant afford the alcohol onboard wont die if they cant have a drink

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118720550#Comment_118720550

Railgourmet have handed back the contract (press release on Tuesday) so this won't be happening any time soon. Back out to tender.