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UK train drivers weigh strike action over inadequate toilet access
Unions say a rail safety board welfare charter signed by operators last year was not fully implemented within 12 months, leaving some drivers to go without toilet breaks for extended stretches.
Train drivers in Great Britain are considering strike action over what unions say is a persistent lack of reliable toilet access and breaks, despite warnings to operators from the rail regulator. Aslef said it was putting the industry on notice, adding that basic needs were still not being met a year after the regulator told companies to improve facilities.
The union alleges many drivers have been forced to resort to urinating in bottles or defecating in the cab. It also cites safety concerns, saying drivers may avoid drinking to reduce the need for a toilet break, which it says leaves them dehydrated and puts passengers and staff at risk, according to an Aslef 2024 member survey described in the report.
Aslef said it believed it had reached a breakthrough last summer when operators signed onto a welfare charter set out by the rail safety board after a prolonged campaign. It says the charter should have been implemented within 12 months and requires safe, clean, accessible and dignified toilets across the railway, along with limits on the maximum time drivers are expected to go without a toilet break.
The Guardian Business reports that HM chief inspector of railways at the Office of Rail and Road, Richard Hines, wrote to train operators on July 29, 2025, saying reliable welfare facilities are a basic requirement and that the situation where some staff lack adequate facilities or time to use them is unacceptable on grounds of human dignity, health, safety, and respect. Aslef also said female drivers are particularly affected, and that the conditions deter recruitment efforts for more women to work in train cabs.