Is there any specific policy around vomiting on trains?

[brad465]

Last night I had my work Christmas party, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, someone in our group was drunk enough to be sick on the coach home after. No word of fines/penalty came from the driver, but knowing that taxis are well-known for charging a three figure sum to anyone who "makes a mess" in the taxi, it made me think do any TOCs have any specific policy around the same act on trains?

I assume the train, or at least the carriage, has to be taken out of service ASAP, given the hygiene risk, but given almost all incidences are on the last train home for the given unit(s), presumably this isn't too disruptive. Do passengers have to suffer any consequences though?

 

[mikeg]

Already covered by Byelaw 6(4):

No Person Shall... Soil any part of the railway.

If it was because the passenger was too drunk it's also almost certainly covered by Byelaw 4.

 

[Iskra]

Already covered by Byelaw 6(4):


If it was because the passenger was too drunk it's also almost certainly covered by Byelaw 4.

But like many byelaws, how often is it actually enforced?

 

[WirralLine]

In reality the unit will usually carry on in service with any affected areas taped off until such a point where it can either be met by a cleaner, somewhere the unit can be swapped, or if its the trains last journey of the day right to the end. Ive never known a train to be cancelled or immediately taken out of service for it.

I have had to lock an entire carriage out of use once before because the vomit was quite literally down the entire aisle and wasnt possible to cordon off!

 

[mikeg]

But like many byelaws, how often is it actually enforced?

That's a good point: I've only twice seen people removed from a train due to intoxication (ok once due to intoxication, during the day, and once for pulling the passcom and attempting to then use the egress handle following a state of intoxication). and never seen them reported for prosecution. I do believe we have had a couple of disputes and proescutions posts regarding such behaviour, though they seem to be every couple of years or so.

 

[Watershed]

Already covered by Byelaw 6(4):


If it was because the passenger was too drunk it's also almost certainly covered by Byelaw 4.

I'm not sure that vomiting counts as soiling. It could happen for any number of reasons, many of which would not be deliberate.

I would read soiling as a reference to urination or defecation.

 

[trainophile]

Pity it doesn’t apply to people grinding their takeaways and crisps into the seats and carpets!

 

[Statto]

I'm not sure that vomiting counts as soiling. It could happen for any number of reasons, many of which would not be deliberate.

I would read soiling as a reference to urination or defecation.

Indeed, i was on a bus one time when a passenger vomited, turned out it was a diabetic vomit, bus ended up having to terminate short of were it was going to go & clean it up, it's not nice but their are many reasons why people vomit & not just from drinking too much alcohol.

 

[Recessio]

I would also hope the railway would treat differently something like sickness or a medical emergency, versus someone who has just had too much to drink that night

 

[185143]

I was on the TramTrain at Rotherham once and a guy got on and instantly spewed up everywhere. Accompanied by his wife and he was visibly drunk.

The driver came and promptly kicked him off, much to his apologetic wife's embarrassement, then taped it off and put some kind of powder down.

 

[bramling]

I would also hope the railway would treat differently something like sickness or a medical emergency, versus someone who has just had too much to drink that night

In practice, not really - it will just be cleaned up, taped off or left for the overnight cleaners to deal with. Which in some ways is regrettable when viewed by those of us who don’t touch alcohol and take a rather dim view of those who do and fail to be able to handle it.

 

[Angmering1974]

I was on an already-delayed TPE service that stopped at a station blocking the line so a team could board and clean up some vomit (the guard was really quite intent on making sure we all knew it was vomit lol).

Rather out of character for TPE to be so customer focused in, well, anything, so props to them. It makes me wonder just how bad it was for a team of 3 cleaners to deal with it !

 

[cats_five]

I would be hoping if someone vomited on a train I was on that it wasn't because they had norovirus.

 

[Elecman]

I once had to do mouth to mouth on a passenger and inevitably they projectile vomited as thier breathing restarted. Made quite a mess of the immediate area

 

[Acathater]

Good reason for bringing back droplight door windows

 

[Recessio]

Good reason for bringing back droplight door windows

Doesn't always work, my dad had a stomach ulcer on an old slam door and couldn't make it to a droplight before projectiling blood all over a busy carriage heading out of Fenchurch Street.

I think he did actually send a letter of apology and some money to BR in the end as he felt terrible about it, even if it wasn't his fault!

 

[Peter0124]

I would be hoping if someone vomited on a train I was on that it wasn't because they had norovirus.

Reminds me of that railtour where everyone got it

 

[thelongestroad]

If you're really lucky it'll seep and/or leak into the heater vents and it'll cook nicely for the next few days.

 

[Haywain]

Which in some ways is regrettable when viewed by those of us who don’t touch alcohol and take a rather dim view of those who do and fail to be able to handle it.

That's all a bit 'holier than thou', isn't it? Even after a beer or three, vomiting isn't necessarily because of alcohol.

 

[dgl]

I know in hospitality public vomiting incidents (PVI's) have to be taken very seriously just in case Norovirus is the cause.
At least now with cordless upholstery cleaners it's easier, in theory, to clean up a mess away from a depot.

 

[RiverDon]

At my company we just lock the coach out if its bad and the cleaners will do their best with it either at the next major station layover or overnight.

 

[orestad]

I know that some train managers will refuse to accept heavily drunk passengers that look like they’re about to vomit once on the train, not their responsibility to nurse them to health and clean up any sick and possibly lock a carriage out of use.

If someone’s been sick because of a medical reason before boarding, then I know that some train managers will advise them to seek medical attention prior to boarding to make sure they’re fit to travel (if it’s something like diabetes) or possibly ask station staff to check them out and maybe get on the next train available. There’s no real fines that the passengers will be hit with because it’s not really their fault if they’ve been sick. As someone has already mentioned too, trains will usually not go out of service because of sick, staff will just lock a carriage out of use if needed and have it cleaned up ASAP.

 

[aaronspence]

I know that some train managers will refuse to accept heavily drunk passengers that look like they’re about to vomit once on the train, not their responsibility to nurse them to health and clean up any sick and possibly lock a carriage out of use.

Or as I've seen a lot on Scotrail, especially the 2nd last and last train out of Edinburgh towards Fife, the conductor will just hide away in the rear cab whilst the vomit comet train begins its journey.

 

[adc82140]

I've been reminded of a platform announcement I heard back in the early 2000s:

"Please note the rear coach is out of use".

Cue a load of people still prodding st the door controls to get on.

Further announcement of the same, and it was ignored again.

Then a different announcement: "look the rear coach is locked because someone has thrown up in it, alright?"

Seemed to do the trick.

 

[Starmill]

I'm not sure that vomiting counts as soiling. It could happen for any number of reasons, many of which would not be deliberate.

I would read soiling as a reference to urination or defecation.

It probably also applies to someone carelessly or deliberately spilling say paint on a train. Hopefully that's very rare indeed, but then...

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I know in hospitality public vomiting incidents (PVI's) have to be taken very seriously just in case Norovirus is the cause.
At least now with cordless upholstery cleaners it's easier, in theory, to clean up a mess away from a depot.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. If a norovirus carrier reverses their breakfast in a packed underground train they’d share the virus with the entire carriage

Will never forget the time when I was 10 and got on an Electrostar at Littlehampton. A whole 4+4 seating area had been redecorated and the adjacent toilet was in a…somewhat worse state

 

[choochoochoo]

I am taking a train out of service if it's not possible to lock off the affected area. Control will try and say it can stay in service if the vomit can be 'sawdusted' and the affected area hazard taped off. For me, it has to be removed and the area cleaned properly.

Bodily fluids are a biohazard. I'm not taking any risks of any other passengers accidentally being exposed to them.

 

[whoosh]

In reality the unit will usually carry on in service with any affected areas taped off until such a point where it can either be met by a cleaner, somewhere the unit can be swapped, or if its the trains last journey of the day right to the end. Ive never known a train to be cancelled or immediately taken out of service for it.

I have had to lock an entire carriage out of use once before because the vomit was quite literally down the entire aisle and wasnt possible to cordon off!

A 717 has been taken out of service in the past few days because of vomit in a coach. Being a walk-through train with wide gangways there is no way to lock out any individual coach. Whole train taken out of service.

I'm not sure that vomiting counts as soiling. It could happen for any number of reasons, many of which would not be deliberate.

I would read soiling as a reference to urination or defecation.

It's bodily fluids. A biohazard.
What's caused it (illness, inebriation) isn't really relevant.

I would also hope the railway would treat differently something like sickness or a medical emergency, versus someone who has just had too much to drink that night

Needs cleaning up or train taken out of service, or coach locked out of use, irrespective of the cause of the expulsion from the stomach.

 

[Spandau]

I don’t think they take aircraft out of service mid-journey when someone chucks up!

 

[choochoochoo]

I don’t think they take aircraft out of service mid-journey when someone chucks up!

That's probably because the cabin crew clean it up before it poses a risk. Happy for my company to employ an onboard crew member for such eventualities.