It's absolutely a Byelaw offence, and it grates that staff walk past it ignoring it rather than saying something about it being unacceptable, even in the quiet coach.
Most guards I’m sure would remind people of the quiet coach rules. If someone is so drunk that they pose a safety risk then steps will be taken. But very often those steps will involve waiting for “Be There Presently” and hopelessly delaying the service, and many more services behind it.
Do you want to be stuck on that train?
Though it's rather different to people failing to take COVID precautions. I have told people to turn devices off in the quiet coach before, usually to non-quiet applause from other passengers, and I'll do it again, and press charges in the event of it turning into anything even vaguely like an assault. However, approaching unmasked twentysomething lads runs the risk of (a) catching COVID, or (b) getting a thump. I would like the railway to provide the security provision to prevent me having to put myself at that risk to keep myself appropriately safe and to ensure the law is complied with.
I have done so myself as a passenger and would do so again! I would caution against approaching anybody and challenging them yourself - it’s surely much easier simply to extricate yourself from the situation, and sit in another carriage.
We need something like Germany's BSG - a proper security provision on the railway with trained railway professionals, not just cheapo rentathugs and inadequate BTP, neither of which are adequate to ensure compliance with the "comfort" Byelaws or indeed law with regard to COVID. But that's probably one for another thread.
I’m led to believe that railstaff used to take a rather more hands on approach. That is no longer acceptable, these days, in the age of “duty of care” and camera phones.
As a DOO driver I had people manhandled off trains and slung out of stations (by passengers) by making targeted announcements. But that’s as far as it goes.
You are generally one of the first to say that staff members should always remain professional, and should never be aggressive towards “challenging individuals”, and how dealing with them is “part of the job” etc.
So which is it to be!?