Rising train fares, fewer guarantees of getting a seat and a ban on drinking alcohol are among proposals for Scotland's railways being investigated by a government agency.

Transport Scotland has launched a consultation on the future of rail services ahead of both ScotRail's contract for providing rail passenger services and the funding arrangements for Network Rail coming to an end in 2014.

The Rail2014 consultation also includes the possibility of removing first-class sections from trains where overcrowding is a problem.

Transport minister Keith Brown urged people to "consider the issues which are important to them" and respond to the consultation.

He said: "Our ambition is to have a railway that offers value for money, ensures closer working and integration between Network Rail and the service operators and most importantly, has passenger interests at its heart."

The consultation document also suggests raising fares on those routes which have benefited from improvement works, to help pay for these.

It states: "Fares need to be set at a level which will generate revenue to help pay for new rail enhancements. We are therefore considering whether those passengers receiving an enhanced service as a consequence of investment in that service should make a contribution through increased fares, rather than having all costs falling to the taxpayer."

Under current franchise arrangements, passengers should have a "reasonable expectation" of getting a seat within 10 minutes of boarding a train, unless they are travelling between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street.

But the consultation will look at whether consideration should be given to how many people can be carried on a train, as opposed to simply how long people may have to stand for.

As a result it will look at "whether we should increase the time that passengers may have to stand", with people urged to give their views on this.

Fewer seats

The consultation also points out that trains with first-class carriages have fewer seats than trains which are all standard class.

It suggests: "On routes, and at times when overcrowding is an issue, there could be an argument to remove first-class services and provide additional capacity."

Another proposal is to ban travellers from drinking alcohol on all trains in Scotland. The consultation argues that "one of the most distressing ways to spend a rail journey is to be subject to the bad behaviour of other passengers" and adds that "this can be fuelled by excessive drinking of alcohol".

While drinking is already banned on some trains for major football and rugby games, it says "consideration is being given to whether there should be a ban on the consumption of alcohol on all trains in Scotland".

Transform Scotland, which brings together rail and bus operators, as well as local councils, environmental bodies and business groups, said the focus must be on "improving the everyday passenger experience".

Director Colin Howden said: "There have been substantial improvements over the past decade and we need to see this continue."

Improvements such as wi-fi and a "high-quality passenger environment" on new electric trains are "critical" in attracting more people on to the railways, he claimed.

Mr Howden added: "Moving people out of their cars and onto trains is the best way that the taxpayer can get value for money for the substantial funds invested in the rail network. And we believe that some of these improvements can be made at low cost."

'Shambles'

The Scottish Green Party said the proposals offered a "worrying glimpse" in to the future of Scottish railways, and called for an affordable rail system that "puts the travelling public first".

Patrick Harvie MSP said: "This report from SNP Ministers offers a worrying glimpse into one possible future for Scotland's railway network.

"This government will have an opportunity to end the private sector stranglehold on Scotland's network, and to make services both more accessible and more affordable. Instead, SNP Ministers want to make the Scottish public pay more while standing on trains that arrive later, with fewer toilets on board, and which stop at fewer stations.

"Requiring passengers coming from England to arbitrarily change trains in Edinburgh will seriously deter people from using public transport, and sounds completely bizarre. We need an affordable railway, designed to put the travelling public first, not this absurdly expensive third-class shambles."

The consultation runs to February 20, 2012, after which its findings will be published.