Train drivers are considering strike action over a lack of toilets, with unions saying basic needs are still not addressed a year after the rail regulator told operators to provide more facilities and breaks.
Aslef said it was “putting the industry on notice”. The train drivers’ union added that companies had failed to deliver adequate toilets and reduce maximum driving times without a toilet break.
A ۲۰۲۴ report by Aslef from a survey of its members found widespread issues, with many drivers unable to reach working toilets and many resorting to urinating in bottles or defecating in the cabs.
The report said it had become a significant health and safety problem, with drivers left dehydrated because they were not drinking enough in order to avoid requiring a toilet break – putting passengers and staff at risk.
The union believed it had secured a breakthrough last summer when operators signed up to a charter set out by the rail safety board after a long campaign.
Richard Hines, HM chief inspector of railways at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), wrote to train operators on ۲۹ July ۲۰۲۵ telling them that “reliable welfare facilities [are] a basic requirement in any civilised society”. He said the current situation where some staff “lack adequate facilities or the time to use them, is unacceptable. This is a matter of human dignity, health, safety and respect to our people.”
Dave Calfe, the general secretary of Aslef, said: “We need action, not broken promises, to improve toilet facilities for drivers and to reduce the time drivers are expected to go without being able to take a toilet break. The health and wellbeing of our members is not a price we are prepared to pay for the inaction of the industry.”
The union said female drivers were particularly affected, and the situation was a deterrent to the railway’s attempts to recruit more women in the cab.
The welfare charter, which should have been implemented within ۱۲ months, requires “safe, clean, accessible and dignified” toilets across the railway, and a maximum time of four hours in the driving seat without the chance to go to the toilet.
In the ORR’s annual report published this month, it said that despite the strong initial commitment and sign-up to the charter, “progress has been uneven and industry momentum has slowed. Key barriers remain, particularly around coordination, shared access to facilities, and consistent delivery.”
Conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, bladder issues, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer are believed to be linked to lack of toilet breaks.
Calfe said: “A year after train companies promised to do the right thing, drivers are still paying with their health for industry inaction. The industry and the government cannot continue failing the workforce on the most basic level, and we need action now.”
Strike action on the railway has been relatively limited since pay deals in ۲۰۲۴ ended almost two years of intermittent nationwide action at the end of the Covid pandemic. However, ballots are under way for drivers at LNER and Avanti; while RMT members at East Midlands railway will strike on ۱ August over issues with its new trains.
The Unite union has also been campaigning for better toilets for bus drivers and lorry drivers, describing the lack of toilet facilities as a huge problem.
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Wayne King, Unite’s national officer for passenger transport, said: “There are still nowhere enough toilets available for bus drivers. It’s the employer’s responsibility and they’re failing miserably. Drivers are using bottles as toilets, women are using she-pees with bottles. This has a dramatic impact on women during menstruation and menopause and members with underlying health conditions.
“During hot weather, drivers are not hydrating properly because they know there’s no toilets available on routes. This is a potential serious safety risk on multiple levels and can lead to the development of serious health conditions.”
Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer for road transport, said: “Despite repeated promises by government and employers, there has been no real improvement in availability of toilets for lorry drivers.
“We need better access at delivery collection points, better and more roadside facilities and value for money at motorway service areas.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Train operators are legally required to provide suitable toilet facilities for their staff, and we expect them to meet these obligations.
“We strongly encourage industry to work together to ensure access to these facilities, and these kinds of welfare issues will be considered as we move towards Great British Railways.”
