No toilets on the train - ticket validity?

[styles]

Elizabeth line probably the longest (Shenfield to T5 or Abbey Wood to Reading), maybe some Overground journeys. Anything on a Southeastern 376.

This probably isn't the place for a train capacity vs toilet availability though.

Yeah, I didn't agree with the decision to have no toilets on the Elizabeth Line, but it does seem to be a theme that on metro-style services they are left out.

 

[Horizon22]

Merseyrail 777s don't have toilets, but the longest journey is about 50 minutes. I think Aldgate to Amersham is probably about the same.

You can do a journey of over an hour from Southport to Chester, but that involves changing at Liverpool Central, and there are toilets there.

I think the situation is similar with the tram-trains on the Valley Lines.

Reading to Abbey Wood is about 1h20, but the Liz is very much not intended for that sort of journey - the idea is that you would use a faster train to Paddington and change (and there are toilets there too).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jun 2026 ==



Stratford-Richmond (probably the longest) is 1h05, but again it's very much not intended for that end to end journey and the demand for it is likely to be pretty low.

You are right that very few people will actually be making such journeys, but just stating that it is feasible.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jun 2026 ==

Yeah, I didn't agree with the decision to have no toilets on the Elizabeth Line, but it does seem to be a theme that on metro-style services they are left out.

And the UK is not alone in this regard; RER and most S-Bahn trains don't have toilets.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Yeah, I didn't agree with the decision to have no toilets on the Elizabeth Line, but it does seem to be a theme that on metro-style services they are left out.

I thought the theory was that a metro-style service stopped often enough and was frequent enough that it didn't matter provide the stations had them.

 

[styles]

You are right that very few people will actually be making such journeys, but just stating that it is feasible.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jun 2026 ==



And the UK is not alone in this regard; RER and most S-Bahn trains don't have toilets.

Worth noting that some RER trains do have toilets, but they've been locked for over a decade, I forget exactly when.

 

[MrJeeves]

What is irritating is when there are no announcements at stations that a given train has no working toilets.

But it is something the industry is getting better at.

GTR at least display on their information screens whether there are partial/no toilet facilities on services, and so do Southeastern.

 

[styles]

I thought the theory was that a metro-style service stopped often enough and was frequent enough that it didn't matter provide the stations had them.

Yeah I think if we take the Elizabeth Line example, Shenfield to T5 is about a 90 minute journey, but realistically the vast majority journeys on this route are going to be sub-1hr, as they'll be people commuting from NE London/Essex to central London, people commuting from West London to central London, or people travelling to/from Heathrow from around central. All of those journeys are <1h.

So I can see to an extent why it may make sense on some metro-style services, but I still think that if you're going to run 7+ cars on >1h services, you should have at least one toilet. A 9-car Elizabeth Line service can carry what, 1500 people? You won't lose significant capacity by putting one toilet in.

 

[Horizon22]

Yeah I think if we take the Elizabeth Line example, Shenfield to T5 is about a 90 minute journey, but realistically the vast majority journeys on this route are going to be sub-1hr, as they'll be people commuting from NE London/Essex to central London, people commuting from West London to central London, or people travelling to/from Heathrow from around central. All of those journeys are <1h.

You'd be surprised by how many people are turning up at places like Shenfield and Romford with suitcases clearly going the whole way. Still then only just over the 1 hr mark.

 

[The exile]

You'd be surprised by how many people are turning up at places like Shenfield and Romford with suitcases clearly going the whole way. Still then only just over the 1 hr mark.

Given the fact that it’s a through service to a major airport (and of course offers connections to two others), I’m not sure I would.

 

[TheSmiths82]

The big differences is services like Merseyrail which don't have toilets is the ticket isn't tied to a specific train, so you can always jump off and get the next one. Again with the Elizabeth line, as far as I know there is no advanced tickets where you have to get a specific train. Sometimes if I am going to Rochdale via the Metrolink I will stop off at Victoria to use the toilet and wait for the next tram as my ticket covers the journey and not the exact tram.

It is rather worrying that such a big service such as Crewe to London didn't have a working toilet though!

 

[yorksrob]

South Eastern had some issues with toilet provision on its electrostar services s few years ago. Haven't noticed it as bad in the last couple of years.

My view of the Elizabeth line is that it should have been treated like Thameslink and always had toilet provision.

 

[Gareth1990]

The question is knowing how toilets are treated on Thameslink trains would you really want to use one on the Elizabeth line or a suburban Southeastern service? Even if you were desperate?

 

[yorksrob]

The question is knowing how toilets are treated on Thameslink trains would you really want to use one on the Elizabeth line or a suburban Southeastern service? Even if you were desperate?

I've used them previously, so I guess my desperation wins out !

 

[david1212]

Pretty much anyone over the age of about 50 will be able to demonstrate a discrimination case. It is normal to have more urinary frequency above that age, and thus it is age discrimination as well. And sex discrimination given that a male might be able to, er, use, a bottle under their coat.

If the railway is doing anything other than letting people alight to use the loo or use another train, they need hitting with some legal cases.

Yes, some trains don't have toilets. But one should be able to expect that where they are normally provided they are working, and if not arrangements to be made for any passenger needing one to use one.

"Pay a whackload extra or wet your pants" is not something it is acceptable for any business to even suggest.

The combination of family history and age means even 2 hours can now be a problem. Getting up after sitting or if not immediate after a short time walking can trigger ' I need to go now '. Hence unless a short journey I rely on using an on trains toilet shortly before arriving at the destination station unless that has facilities that are almost certain to be open. At times I also rely on the train soon after joining.

Having the 'Just can't wait' app on your phone and / or a physical card while no official standing potentially shows a genuine condition. I've not yet actually been desperate and needed to show it. The physical card could be downloaded and printed but I can't find that source now.
Bladder & Bowel Link

 

[mickey]

Crossrail doesn't really count here though, as most stations (at least on the western branch) have readily accessible ‘airside’ toilets and tickets aren’t tied to specific trains, so if you‘re travelling end-to-end and get really desperate you can get off and effectively step back a train. For me the qualifier should be whether a long(er) distance train usually has toilets, in which case it should be fair to assume one will be available… and if it’s not, you should be allowed to travel on a later service - unless of course a toilet stop is made, as London Midland often used to do in the early days of single 350 ops to Crewe.

 

[Gareth1990]

I’d argue the whole advance ticket system is a form of disability discrimination. Let’s say you buy a ticket and the service you’re booked for is full, you have no right to travel on another service if you’re unable to stand

 

[wilsontown]

Had this a few years ago travelling home to York from Brockenhurst - SWR train had no working toilets. Normally I might have been OK but on this day I wasn't feeling particularly well and didn't want to risk it so alighted at Southampton Airport Parkway and got the next service. I was therefore late for my connection at Kings Cross (on an advance) but explained at the ticket office and they endorsed my ticket for the next departure. So at least sometimes common sense prevails.

Also coming back from a York City night game at Gateshead - picked up the Aberdeen-Leeds train at Newcastle, no working toilets by the time we got to Darlington. With a few hundred football fans who'd been on the ale all evening...

It could also be fun if you boarded a non-stop London service at York unaware that the toilets were not working...