Berlin, July 22:
Germany’s national railway operator said Tuesday that it is banning alcohol consumption at all stations on the network to improve security and cleanliness, though there will be exemptions, including for station bars and restaurants. Deutsche Bahn said that the ban will be introduced step-by-step at all 5,400 stations in Germany by October 15. Bans have already been introduced at 30 stations, among them in Cologne, Hamburg and Munich.
Berlin’s central and Gesundbrunnen stations will follow on September 1, along with some others, before the measure is expanded nationwide. “We have observed too often that violence increases where too much alcohol flows,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla said in a statement. She pointed to a “brutal and senseless attack” last week in which an intoxicated passenger is alleged to have beaten and kicked a member of security staff during a ticket check. The employee fell out of the moving train’s door and was injured. People who flout the ban will be kicked out and multiple offenders could be given a permanent ban from the premises.