The operator of Germany’s national railway is banning alcohol consumption at all train stations across the country.
The ban will be introduced at all 5,400 stations by 15 October.
The move is intended to improve safety for employees and passengers, the operator said.
Bans have already been introduced at 30 stations, including in the major cities of Cologne, Munich and Hamburg.
Berlin’s central and Gesundbrunnen stations will follow suit on 1 September before the ban is expanded nationwide.
“We have observed too often that violence increases where too much alcohol flows,” Deutsche Bahn chief executive Evelyn Palla said.
open image in galleryShe cited a “brutal and senseless attack” last week, in which a drunk passenger and alleged to have beaten and kicked a member of security staff during a ticket check.
The employee fell out of the door of the moving train and was injured, she said.
Passengers who flout the ban will be kicked out of stations, and repeat offenders could be given a permanent ban from the railway.
In-station caterers will be exempted from the ban, Deutsche Bahn said, and people will still be allowed to carry closed bottles and cans of alcohol in their luggage or shopping bags.
The ban will not apply on board trains. Alcoholic drinks are sold in dining cars on many long-distance journeys.
open image in galleryGermany is the European Union’s most populous country, and has a railway network totalling 20,750 miles in length, on which an average of 50,000 trains run per day.
Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure division says that makes it Europe’s biggest network.
The UK has no blanket ban on drinking at train stations, and passengers can generally consume alcohol on most National Rail services, providing that they are well-behaved.
However, drinking alcohol or carrying open containers is banned on trains in Northern Ireland’s Translink services and all Transport for London services and stations, including the Underground and Overground.
An alcohol ban on ScotRail trains was lifted in June 2025 after it proved ineffective and difficult to enforce, and passengers can now drink between the hours of 10am and 9pm.
Elsewhere in Europe, drinking at French train stations is generally permitted, while in Spain, it is allowed only inside licensed station bars, cafes and restaurants.