Bern, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – The CFF rail company will stop allowing the sale of alcohol after 22:00 in  shops and kiosks, starting 1 April 2008. Bars and restaurants in the stations are not affected by the new rule. The company took the measure independently in order to improve safety and cleanliness in the stations, it says in a press release (Fre) but also to help in the fight against excessive alcohol consumption by young adolescents. The government in Bern has just completed a public consultation process about legislation that would make it illegal to sell alcohol between 21:00 and 07:00. The CFF notes that opening shops in train stations 24 hours a day has been popular with the public, but the down side has been an increase in drunkenness near the stations.