Overview
- Deutsche Bahn implemented a nationwide ban on drinking at its roughly 5,700 stations on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
- The rule covers station areas and platforms operated by DB but allows alcohol in station restaurants and sealed bottles in luggage and does not change most train rules.
- DB will enforce the ban under its house rights by asking people to stop drinking, issuing place bans for violations and giving repeat offenders house bans while instructing staff to act with restraint.
- Supporters including the police union and the federal drug commissioner point to model projects at about 30–40 large stations and say earlier pilots showed less litter and fewer alcohol-related conflicts.
- Homelessness and social-welfare groups warn the ban risks displacing people with addictions into less safe areas and call for on-site outreach, low-threshold health services and more shelter capacity to avoid harm.