Irish Rail extends alcohol ban to Galway and Westport trains

Irish Rail is to impose an alcohol ban on Friday afternoon inter-city services to Galway and Westport.

The company said from October 12th it will cease alcohol sales on these trains and will confiscate bottles and cans from those who attempt to bring them on board.

The move will affect the Friday 11.25am. 1.25pm and 3.35pm services from Dublin to Galway, as well as the 2.45pm service from Dublin to Westport.

Bans are already in place on a 1pm Sunday service from Galway to Dublin and a range of services to Waterford from Dublin on Fridays, and from Waterford to Dublin on Sundays.

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An Irish rail spokeswoman said the extension of the was in response to “persistent complaints from customers about regular instances of anti-social behaviour connected to excessive alcohol consumption on-board”.

The spokeswoman said Irish rail staff will be on the lookout for passengers carrying “slabs” of beer.

She said under Irish Rail conditions of travel, officials have the authority to refuse passengers travel and this would be used to offer passengers the option of agreeing to the confiscation of alcohol, or leaving the train.

Details of the alcohol ban will be displayed at stations and customers booking online will be notified during the reservation process, the company said.

Irish Rail said most of the complaints were linked to groups of people who become boisterous to the extent that they disrupt the comfort and potentially the safety of other passengers.

The spokeswoman said she did not want to blame “stag and hen parties” as some of these were peaceful and the term did not encompass the full range of groups” travelling on trains.

She said the ban had been imposed in response to high levels of complaints and other lines, including the Sligo and Cork lines, had not produced the same number.