22-04-2025
Scotrail alcohol ban 'ignored' by passengers as SNP policy branded 'unenforceable'
SNP ministers announced a "temporary" ban on the consumption of alcohol on ScotRail services in 2020 during the covid pandemic.
The SNP's booze ban on ScotRail services is being widely ignored by passengers as the policy is "unenforceable", trade union chiefs have warned.
Passengers were previously allowed to drink alcohol on trains on the country's biggest passenger network before 9pm.
But the Scottish Government introduced a "temporary" ban in November 2020 - and have since refused to lift it despite other covid restrictions being ditched.
Other rail service providers in Scotland, such as LNER and Avanti West Coast, have no restrictions on the sale or consumption of alcohol.
Appearing before Holyrood's transport committee today, two railway union chiefs were quizzed on the impact of the controversial policy.
Gordon Mackay, the Scotland organiser for the RMT union, described the ban as 'unenforceable' and told the committee that it was being 'ignored' by passengers.
Kevin Lindsay of the ASELF union said Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop was 'listening' to unions on the issue - and said there was an 'ongoing debate' within the Scottish Government about the ban being removed.
Critics of the ban claim deprives the publicly-owned railway of badly needed revenues, as well as penalising the majority of law-abiding passengers.
The busiest mainline services previously sold a range of alcoholic drinks via catering trolleys that passed through carriages.
Sue Webber, Scottish Conservatives transport spokeswoman, previously said: "ScotRail's ongoing booze ban is unenforceable, but SNP ministers refuse to accept this.
"Scrapping this measure would not only allow the law-abiding majority of passengers to enjoy a quiet drink, it would be a revenue-raiser for nationalised ScotRail that could go towards cutting fares."
Transport Scotland could not offer a date on when the controversial policy would finally be reviewed when asked by the Record last month - or whether it will be lifted before the next Holyrood election in 2026.
A Scottish Government spokesman said at the time: 'We are aware that passengers, ScotRail staff and other interested parties hold a wide range of views about alcohol on trains.
"While we do appreciate that the majority of passengers who consume alcohol would not cause any concerns to train staff or other passengers, we know that alcohol can play a role in anti-social behaviour displayed on public transport and in wider society.
"Passenger safety, especially women and girls', on public transport is paramount. This is why safety is considered an important factor in our deliberations on this matter.
"Ministers will take time to consider the wide range of diverging views in line with the broad range of recommendations made in our report on women and girls' safety on public transport, before making any final decision."
