EXTRA police are to patrol a Saturday night train service to combat the rising tide of trouble.
One train on the Newcastle-Carlisle line will also be declared “dry” to stem alcohol-related disorder.
British Transport Police are introducing the measures in response to increased reports of misbehaviour.
Passengers and rail staff say anti-social behaviour is a regular problem and now the 9.18pm out of Newcastle is to have alcohol banned, while extra police will travel on both that and the trouble-hit 7.24pm service.
BTP officers will also be on the station platform and Sgt Jim Walsh said: “We will be increasing patrols and monitoring passengers wanting to travel on the services.
“The majority of issues we are seeing on board highlight alcohol as the main causal factor.
“For this reason alcohol will not be permitted on the 21.18 train between Newcastle and Carlisle. This service is ‘dry’.
“Anyone who is deemed to have consumed too much alcohol or who causes disruption at the station will not be allowed on board.
“Similarly, anyone who is seen drinking alcohol on the train will be reported and removed from the service at the next station.”
British Transport Police recently set up a text-message alert – number 61016 – for passengers to report problems.
Many travellers are reluctant to report trouble, but police are urging them to put that fear behind them.
Sgt Walsh added: “We hope that the ease of being able to send a quick text message will encourage more passengers to report incidents when they occur.
“We would encourage anyone travelling on these services to text 61016 or speak to an officer on board.
“We do not want to ruin a night out for people, but we have to consider the safety of all rail passengers and staff and their right to use trains without fear of anti- social behaviour and disorder.
“Officers will take a robust approach to policing these services and anyone found to be acting anti-socially will be dealt with appropriately.
“Anti-social behaviour in any form has a huge impact on those who travel and work on the railway.
“At best, anti-social behaviour can be annoying, but at its worst it can be intimidating and can be the precursor to other crimes.
“Through our day-to-day policing and the work of British Transport Police officers in the area, we are already doing a lot to tackle anti-social behaviour.
“Low-level anti-social behaviour, which we know often occurs on trains later at night and when people have been drinking, is undoubtedly under-reported.
“Passengers tend to accept or ignore the minority who make the journeys unpleasant for everyone else.”
Richard Allan, area director for Northern Rail, said: “We regularly work alongside BTP to ensure the services we operate run as planned for our passengers and employees.
“Having officers on board will in turn help reduce these incidents.”
