Should the ScotRail booze ban remain in place? Rail bosses have been consulting on what to do about it. Speaking to a Holyrood committee this week, they revealed that commuters were split roughly 50/50 on whether to continue the ban, which was introduced three years ago during the pandemic in a bid to curtail spread of the virus.

You can see why. A booze ban on rails doesn’t stop antisocial behaviour. But it does make getting on a train feel like less of a lottery.

Anyone who has regularly taken a late train between Glasgow and Edinburgh will have a few lurid tales to tell about drunken behaviour, some of which you wouldn’t want to read over your Cornflakes.

But you don’t have to be a night-time commuter to appreciate the upsides of banning alcohol on trains. You can find yourself stuck in someone else’s party at any time of day.

I spent decades travelling on trains nearly every day. Among the journeys that stick in my mind are the ones where a few people were roaring drunk and everyone else was more or less sober – and trapped.

A typical example would be the time I was on an Edinburgh-London service with not one but two hen parties. We other passengers were in a disco sandwich between two clashing tunes played at high volume, with additional vocals provided by the hens.

Hen parties can be joyous - or a pain, depending on your view (Image: free)

It can be a lovely moment on trains when music or sports fans sing in unison, full of high spirits and bonhomie. But it’s less........

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