New rule at Dortmund station: must BVB and away fans adapt? | OneFootball

Will football fans now have to adjust if they travel by train to Borussia Dortmund’s home matches? A statement from Deutsche Bahn suggests as much. However, it is still unclear how strictly compliance with the new rule will be enforced on matchdays. Since yesterday, alcohol consumption has been banned at Dortmund Central Station, and this is even said to include the forecourt outside the station.

WAZ reports on this new rule, which Deutsche Bahn announced to the public via a press release. According to the report, the alcohol ban applies throughout Dortmund Central Station. This includes the concourse, the platforms themselves, and also “all access routes” to the tracks.

This rule, which is likely to be less popular with parts of the population in beer city Dortmund, is not to be enforced by Deutsche Bahn staff alone. The Federal Police, who are always present at Dortmund Central Station anyway, will also monitor compliance with the alcohol ban.

Photo: IMAGO

Enforcement on BVB matchdays remains to be seen

At first, violations are only expected to be punished with an order to leave the premises. Only in the event of repeat offenses would a station ban be imposed. In the first few weeks, during which posters and announcements will draw attention to the alcohol ban, greater leniency can also be expected if people are unaware of the rule.

As Deutsche Bahn announced, this regulation now also applies at the central stations in Bochum, Essen and Duisburg in the Ruhr region, as well as in Bonn, Münster and Düsseldorf. A similar alcohol ban had already come into force at Cologne Central Station some time ago.

But how will those carrying out checks proceed if hundreds or even thousands of BVB fans traveling via the central station, along with supporters of the respective away team, fail to comply with the alcohol ban? Simply in terms of the manpower required, it seems unrealistic that the ban will also be enforced around a BVB home match — or one involving the German national team.

It is not yet known when BVB’s first home game of the upcoming 2026/27 season will take place. What is clear, however, is that on that date, a first answer to the above question is likely to emerge.

However, Deutsche Bahn did not introduce this alcohol ban at many stations in NRW to harass football fans. Rather, the aim is to increase all travelers’ subjective sense of safety and to reduce the burden on its own employees.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.