Alcohol sale and drink will be banned on all trains in Thailand

[GeorgeO]

failing to see the point. one would assume that employees were already required to remain sober while working.

Perhaps a review of SRT's employment policies would be more in order than this knee jerk reaction.

Segregation seems like an excellent idea though. very forward thinking indeed.

personally i cant see how anyone could tolerate the train sober

Well said ... and perhaps they haven't thought through the possibility that people will look for alternative means of transport if they are going to be subjected to further limitations after the non-sensical introduction under KhunT of the 11:00-2:00 and 5:00-11:00 purchases.

They should examine how they can prevent such occurrences from happening again, as opposed to punishing everyone..!! What's next? Determine that he originated from, let's say, Surin, and then declare that Surinites will not be allowed to use SRT transportation...?

Edited July 9, 2014 by GeorgeO

[John Egil]

The ladies only carriage idea is a good one.

What about the ladyboys

[epicstuff]

Annoying knee jerk re-action To a tragic story, why are the employees not banned already anyway . Why take it out on travellers .. The train is so slow and seats so uncomfortable I used to really enjoy a drink to pass the journey . never found the need to rape and murder anyone because of it . I Think It was more likely the Meth that was the problem.....

[epicstuff]

The drunks can not go alcohol free for the journey?

Get your own transport, take a taxi and drink yourself stupid. .

Lady carriages are overdue and please ban men impersonating females.

very hostile approach against people who enjoy a drink whilst travelling.. What if they started to banned alcohol on planes. no more complimentary champagne in first class. you really want to see dry transport services everywhere. or just where you dont want to drink? Maybe you should go live in the UAE or somewhere similar

[PermaNewb]

The Thais reduced the staff from 24,000 to 11,000 and they ended up with this guy during the qualifying process. Looks more like a human resources management issue rather than an alcohol issue.

you're using words like "Human resources" and "management" in a Thai context?

you've never been to Thailand have you?

[mcfish]

The drunks can not go alcohol free for the journey?

Get your own transport, take a taxi and drink yourself stupid. .

Lady carriages are overdue and please ban men impersonating females.

very hostile approach against people who enjoy a drink whilst travelling.. What if they started to banned alcohol on planes. no more complimentary champagne in first class. you really want to see dry transport services everywhere. or just where you dont want to drink? Maybe you should go live in the UAE or somewhere similar

"no more complimentary champagne in first class" yeah! that's really gonna hurt !

[louse1953]

I predicted this reactionary response, millions of uneventful trips completed by passengers on the rail, millions of beers consumed. An awful, tragic event...reaction? no more beer sales or consumption. So now instead of one unfortunate victim, all those travelers that enjoy a drink on board the train are victims also.

Perhaps you didn't read the article.

Alcohol consumption will still be allowed...discreetly.

I would consider the victim to be more than unfortunate and I would suggest you reconsider your idea that not being able to buy alcohol on the train is even remotely similar to her fate.

Your eyes must be better than mine,i cant see the word discreetly.Maybe you are an alco and need that drink,to chance to be invited off the train.On my rekoning,there is a new sherriff in town and the rules have changed.

[epicstuff]

The drunks can not go alcohol free for the journey?

Get your own transport, take a taxi and drink yourself stupid. .

Lady carriages are overdue and please ban men impersonating females.

very hostile approach against people who enjoy a drink whilst travelling.. What if they started to banned alcohol on planes. no more complimentary champagne in first class. you really want to see dry transport services everywhere. or just where you dont want to drink? Maybe you should go live in the UAE or somewhere similar

"no more complimentary champagne in first class" yeah! that's really gonna hurt !

everybody got to think about the slow evaporation of the little perks so many enjoy about Thailand . Sooner or later there will be no difference between here and so many other less desirable places to be. banning drink on trains effects me no more than champagne on a first class flight but I dont like to see this steady erosion of pleasures.. Doesn't matter what the situation is there will always be a few that spoil it for others; but by making blanket policies everone suffers . I'll bet out of every one person that is a nuesance drinking on a train theres 10 people who never bothered anyone. If anything it make for a more social experience on these little adventures. the world is getting dumbed down . I dont want to see everyone living insular lives living within so many laws and conformities it was one of the special things about Thailand that separated it from other places

[Don Aleman]

An obvious over reaction to the recent incident. Next search everyone for any sort of device that could be a weapon including but not limited to : knives, guns, hair pins, ball point pens, canes,

drinking glasses, bowling balls and tennis racquets !

[louse1953]

"Passengers can bring their alcoholic drinks on board but if they are seen drinking on board they will be invited to get off the trains, he added."

Not too difficult to sneak into a bathroom and down a drink. Of course this doesn't address if someone has consumed alcohol or has ingested yabba before coming on board.

This appears to be a CYA move of closing the barn door after the cows have escaped

If you can drink in the dunny like a scoolboy,you are a stronger man than me

[chiang mai]

An obvious over reaction to the recent incident. Next search everyone for any sort of device that could be a weapon including but not limited to : knives, guns, hair pins, ball point pens, canes,

drinking glasses, bowling balls and tennis racquets !

An obvious indication that the article has not been read, just the headline!

[sambum]

I predicted this reactionary response, millions of uneventful trips completed by passengers on the rail, millions of beers consumed. An awful, tragic event...reaction? no more beer sales or consumption. So now instead of one unfortunate victim, all those travelers that enjoy a drink on board the train are victims also.

Perhaps you didn't read the article.

Alcohol consumption will still be allowed...discreetly.

I would consider the victim to be more than unfortunate and I would suggest you reconsider your idea that not being able to buy alcohol on the train is even remotely similar to her fate.

You read more into the article than I do - you can bring your own alcohol on board, but if you are seen drinking it you will be "invited" to leave the train. I see it as being able to bring your "Duty Free" or other booze on board, but according to the "rules" you can not drink it. However, as all other rules or laws here in Thailand, there will be ways round it, and probably a glass or 2 given to the uniforms on the train will solve the problem!

[bigbamboo]

Sadly it's a modern day trend like health and safety where everybody is made to suffer because of a few individuals. Whilst not wishing to make light of what happened here you could argue that no one should be allowed to drink in any public place in case someone should commit a crime as a result of becoming intoxicated.

Edited July 9, 2014 by bigbamboo

[mcfish]

Hows it going to work? Girls backpacking drink just as much. I assume sooner or later a girl will be invited to leave and obviously it wont be at the destination, kinda defeats the purpose

Next horror story will read English backpacker raped after being thrown off train.

For once the Authorities need to go all the way, ban or let it be.

[chiang mai]

Hows it going to work? Girls backpacking drink just as much. I assume sooner or later a girl will be invited to leave and obviously it wont be at the destination, kinda defeats the purpose

Next horror story will read English backpacker raped after being thrown off train.

For once the Authorities need to go all the way, ban or let it be.

Perhaps a useful alternative might be that people learn self restraint and how to behave in public, I see little point in changing laws to accommodate the 0.001% of society that cannot do that.

[impulse]

Having a couple of beers on the train while watching the sun setting over the fields was a great pleasure...

That's a great romantic vision. But the reality is that some significant percentage of the people don't know when (or how) to stop, and just a few can make the ride miserable for the vast majority.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet this isn't a knee jerk reaction to a single incident. The incident is political cover, and is just an excuse to implement a ban they've been wanting to impose for a while- call it the last straw.

My bet is that their employees were tired of mopping up the puddles of puke, cleaning up the pissy sheets, and fighting with passengers who become belligerent under the influence.

Pretty much impossible to legislate against that kind of bad behavior, so the only option left is to legislate away the causes of the bad behavior. Sad really.

Inconveniences the majority who enjoy an occasional toddy, but I suspect most of them are creative enough and have the foresight to bring some slightly off color orange juice, tomato juice or tonic water along for the ride.

Edit: I've been to a lot of places where drinking isn't allowed. But nobody enforces the rules unless someone gets out of line. Rather than coming down on them for nebulous "bad behavior", the charge is illegal drinking. And the responsible drinkers just carry on, even cheering while the bad apples are escorted off. Hopefully, that's what will happen here.

Enjoy the sunsets.

Edited July 9, 2014 by impulse

[chongtak]

I don't take the night train anymore from bkk to cm for two reasons, firstly the length (around 15 hours) and secondly the people having party and drinking whiskey without any regard for other people.

[DrTuner]

everybody got to think about the slow evaporation of the little perks so many enjoy about Thailand . Sooner or later there will be no difference between here and so many other less desirable places to be. banning drink on trains effects me no more than champagne on a first class flight but I dont like to see this steady erosion of pleasures.. Doesn't matter what the situation is there will always be a few that spoil it for others; but by making blanket policies everone suffers . I'll bet out of every one person that is a nuesance drinking on a train theres 10 people who never bothered anyone. If anything it make for a more social experience on these little adventures. the world is getting dumbed down . I dont want to see everyone living insular lives living within so many laws and conformities it was one of the special things about Thailand that separated it from other places

Actually Thailand has been full of nanny state laws for quite a while. Thais just don't give a flying <deleted> about the rules. Have to admit, that does make them special. Unfortunately as the middle class grows, they will start self-enforcing those laws and the place will turn into another utterly boring Singapore.

Perhaps Myanmar will have developed an infra suitable for farangs by then. If not, there are other places on the planet to choose from.

[iphad]

kinda funny watching the anti thai folks demeaning Thai & Thailand every chance they get ...always demanding action not words..then the booze gets cut off on the train & they howl like little school girls

[bannork]

Having a couple of beers on the train while watching the sun setting over the fields was a great pleasure...

That's a great romantic vision. But the reality is that some significant percentage of the people don't know when (or how) to stop, and just a few can make the ride miserable for the vast majority.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet this isn't a knee jerk reaction to a single incident. The incident is political cover, and is just an excuse to implement a ban they've been wanting to impose for a while- call it the last straw.

My bet is that their employees were tired of mopping up the puddles of puke, cleaning up the pissy sheets, and fighting with passengers who become belligerent under the influence.

Pretty much impossible to legislate against that kind of bad behavior, so the only option left is to legislate away the causes of the bad behavior. Sad really.

Inconveniences the majority who enjoy an occasional toddy, but I suspect most of them are creative enough and have the foresight to bring some slightly off color orange juice, tomato juice or tonic water along for the ride.

Edit: I've been to a lot of places where drinking isn't allowed. But nobody enforces the rules unless someone gets out of line. Rather than coming down on them for nebulous "bad behavior", the charge is illegal drinking. And the responsible drinkers just carry on, even cheering while the bad apples are escorted off. Hopefully, that's what will happen here.

Enjoy the sunsets.

I'd bet you are wrong 100%, the employees love selling beer at highly inflated prices, it's probably a considerable percentage of the waiters' salaries.

In 25 years of train travelling at least once a month I've yet to see a fight on a train.

The atmosphere in the buffet car can get lively but that goes with the train hurtling along. It's called fun.

Once back to their sleeping quarters, the loud drunks- and these are 99% farangs, soon succumb to sleep as the somewhat lively rocking motion of the train doesn't lend itself to standing around talking in a drunken state.

But this is the Bangkok- Nong Khai line where most farangs are heading to Laos, perhaps a gentler breed of farang than the hardened party goers of the southern islands.

[Gillyflower]

A ladies only carriage. What a ridiculous idea!!! It's impossible, unless it is at either at the beginning or end of the train and is locked at both ends. To get to the restaurant car, I usually have to walk through 4-5 carriages. You can walk from one end of the train to the other quite freely. As for the cabin attendant.....he is rarely to be found after a certain time and certainly not during the night.

As for clutchclark and his backpackers.......I travel a lot on Thai trains and I make a beeline for the resto car as soon as possible. I would say that it is 50-50 between the backpackers and the groups of 50-60 year olds. The latter can be worse than the younger. It is usually a disco in the resto car with the employees having a good time too. Funnily enough I have never seen the category of the suspect in the car. They usually go somewhere else to eat. I think it is in a carriage near the engine.

[ClutchClark]

A ladies only carriage. What a ridiculous idea!!! It's impossible, unless it is at either at the beginning or end of the train and is locked at both ends. To get to the restaurant car, I usually have to walk through 4-5 carriages. You can walk from one end of the train to the other quite freely. As for the cabin attendant.....he is rarely to be found after a certain time and certainly not during the night.

As for clutchclark and his backpackers.......I travel a lot on Thai trains and I make a beeline for the resto car as soon as possible. I would say that it is 50-50 between the backpackers and the groups of 50-60 year olds. The latter can be worse than the younger. It is usually a disco in the resto car with the employees having a good time too. Funnily enough I have never seen the category of the suspect in the car. They usually go somewhere else to eat. I think it is in a carriage near the engine.

They are certainly not "my" backpackers. If they were I would have long ago taken a pruning shear to their lice-infested entanglements of hair.

I am talking about backpackers in the Sleeping Cars and the Dining Car. There raucous behavior is o be expected in the Dining Car but not in the Sleeper. Its not uncommon for a group to even start playing loud techno music and being intentionally oblivious to any of their fellow passengers. This is typically on the route south and the majority are disembarking at Surat Thani to participate in the drunken drug fueled Full Moon/Black Moon Parties.

The Dining Car is fine for such activities.

The point is the ban on alcohol has likely been anticipated for some time and is not a knee jerk reaction as so many posters here accuse.

Edited July 9, 2014 by ClutchClark

[peecee]

What is their line of thinking? It was not another passenger who got drunk and raped this poor little girl! It was one of their employees who did it. So why are they intent to punish all train travellers by banning alcohol consumption on trains? This may be a reactionary response but the action does not suit the terrible crime committed by that employee and surely it would not prevent another employee from bringing whiskey on a train to drink after everyone is asleep. The SRT is punishing the passengers for their own mistakes by other employees allowing this man to drink while on duty.

Typical loss of face type of stupid knee jerk reaction that had nothing to do with travelers drinking. Staff are not allowed to drink booze or use drugs & there are always a couple of guards on these trains who are responsible for these guys. Maybe from now on they will carry out there duties in a responsible manner & hopefully no more of these outrages would occur.

[anotheruser]

They have basically just banned the only reason there was for taking the train. Smoking and drinking in the restaurant car is the only thing that made the night train bearable.

With the amounts of weight I carry on the train, some of which is beer... I wouldn't hesitate to state my abilities for being able to shift my luggage to prevent derailings. I use the Ubon line for what it is worth.

[roamer]

A ladies only carriage. What a ridiculous idea!!! It's impossible, unless it is at either at the beginning or end of the train and is locked at both ends. To get to the restaurant car, I usually have to walk through 4-5 carriages. You can walk from one end of the train to the other quite freely. As for the cabin attendant.....he is rarely to be found after a certain time and certainly not during the night.

As for clutchclark and his backpackers.......I travel a lot on Thai trains and I make a beeline for the resto car as soon as possible. I would say that it is 50-50 between the backpackers and the groups of 50-60 year olds. The latter can be worse than the younger. It is usually a disco in the resto car with the employees having a good time too. Funnily enough I have never seen the category of the suspect in the car. They usually go somewhere else to eat. I think it is in a carriage near the engine.

They are certainly not "my" backpackers. If they were I would have long ago taken a pruning shear to their lice-infested entanglements of hair.

I am talking about backpackers in the Sleeping Cars and the Dining Car. There raucous behavior is o be expected in the Dining Car but not in the Sleeper. Its not uncommon for a group to even start playing loud techno music and being intentionally oblivious to any of their fellow passengers. This is typically on the route south and the majority are disembarking at Surat Thani to participate in the drunken drug fueled Full Moon/Black Moon Parties.

The Dining Car is fine for such activities.

The point is the ban on alcohol has likely been anticipated for some time and is not a knee jerk reaction as so many posters here accuse.

Might I add that if you are unfortunate to be near the end of a sleeping car you still get little sleep due to fact they like to congregate to smoke and party between the carriages.

I'm no killjoy and have enjoyed a few nights in the dining car myself over the years disturbing no one who didn't choose to be there. However no question that the Surat Thani and also now the Chiang Mai route (travelers to Pai) have a breed of traveler who plainly don't give a damm about anyone. Banning alcohol sales won't help though as many of them bring their own anyway and I can't see a drinking ban being enforced.

Gave up a few years ago and now its exclusively drive or fly.

[TheWizardofRnR]

All I can say is back in the '88 to '93 period when i lived in Bkk and use to make the trip to Penang

or Hat Yai , the trips were legendary at that time. How they ever allowed it this long is amazing !

I think it won't solve the problems , cause people will just bring their own on board. Instead of being able to buy a drink,

they may get drunker on spirits they consume on the trip.

I saw a Tourist get his passport thrown out a window after dark , but the guy did not get off the train to go look.

We usually drank the bar dry of large Kloster beers before they closed the dining room , where most trips were just

happy drunks on our Visa runs in good company & conversation , back then the best hotel for the cheapest price and where to eat always were topics . But every once in awhile someone who was

a Bad drunk , would ruin it for everyone , getting the bar closed earlier.

Now , the violence in this world , just keeps getting worse. It's about good & evil persons , nothing to do except

using excuses of blaming it on the booze or drugs ,when its really just a bad person ! Plain & simple.

[Mr Tom]

Maybe if they just had decent staff/security those people could just enforce not being too loud at a certain hour, or tell someone they need to stop drinking. AND make sure no violet crimes are being committed. It works in restaurants/bars when the bouncer and staff are not drunk or sleeping.

Don't support an absolute ban because you're too spineless to stand up for yourself or confront people. Whether they're being loud from drinking, playing headphone, kicking your seat etc. That's why you support a ban is it not? You want help.

[ClutchClark]

Maybe if they just had decent staff/security those people could just enforce not being too loud at a certain hour, or tell someone they need to stop drinking. AND make sure no violet crimes are being committed. It works in restaurants/bars when the bouncer and staff are not drunk or sleeping.

Don't support an absolute ban because you're too spineless to stand up for yourself or confront people. Whether they're being loud from drinking, playing headphone, kicking your seat etc. That's why you support a ban is it not? You want help.

Its a funny thing, Mr Tom, but I don't place myself into a situation I can't be quite certain of the outcome. I am 75 years old. I can go tell a bunch of drunk 20-somethings to quiet down and what happens?

They tell me to &lt;deleted&gt; off and then they turn the music up.

Your suggestion does not consider outcome. At 75, most of us are wise enough to consider outcome.

Cheers

Edited July 9, 2014 by ClutchClark

[BAFC]

The ladies only carriage idea is a good one.

And keep lady boys away from all carriages.

And why are ladyboys a problem in this case?

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Mr Tom]

Maybe if they just had decent staff/security those people could just enforce not being too loud at a certain hour, or tell someone they need to stop drinking. AND make sure no violet crimes are being committed. It works in restaurants/bars when the bouncer and staff are not drunk or sleeping.

Don't support an absolute ban because you're too spineless to stand up for yourself or confront people. Whether they're being loud from drinking, playing headphone, kicking your seat etc. That's why you support a ban is it not? You want help.

Its a funny thing, Mr Tom, but I don't place myself into a situation I can't be quite certain of the outcome. I am 75 years old. I can go tell a bunch of drunk 20-somethings to quiet down and what happens?

They tell me to <deleted> off and then they turn the music up.

Your suggestion does not consider outcome. At 75, most of us are wise enough to consider outcome.

Cheers

So what if they do, It would be nice to have staff to help you with this one wouldn't it. So what if they don't, you've just prevented to world from becoming a more black and white dull place of people who don't communicate. You'd tell a kid to quit kicking your seat before you banned kids on trains though right?