Staff toilets

[Egg Centric]

Do LUL stations have staff toilets?

If there are any that don't, what are the arrangements for staff that need to spend a penny?

 

[DavyCrocket]

Yes they do.
Though sometimes if they are not the regular known ones, a local staff member may have to show the route to and from

 

[blue87]

I imagine the drivers have some kind of list as to where the staff toilets are located each station just in case they get urgently caught short too.

 

[bramling]

I imagine the drivers have some kind of list as to where the staff toilets are located each station just in case they get urgently caught short too.

Sort of. They certainly know where facilities are at locations where they regularly have business - generally crew relief points, termini, and perhaps a few other stations which get used by drivers during engineering works or whatever. But otherwise no it’s a case of asking staff, and in these cases staff would have to let them in anyway.

 

[Dstock7080]

There are platform based facilities at certain station headwalls, accessible to drivers and these widely known.
A courtesy call to the Line Controller is advised if these facilities are to be used.

 

[Mawkie]

I imagine the drivers have some kind of list as to where the staff toilets are located each station just in case they get urgently caught short too.

Unless it was some kind of emergency, it would be extremely unlikely that a train op would take a Physical Needs Relief (PNR) on a running line at a random station where they would have to be escorted to the toilet - that has the potential to be extremely detrimental to the service. I certainly know where all my PNR points are on my line - at termini, occasional head walls, and other secret doors

A courtesy call to the Line Controller is advised if these facilities are to be used.

IIRC, Rule Book 6 states "must" tell the controller, but agree that it seems to have fallen by the wayside a little these days.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

Unless it was some kind of emergency, it would be extremely unlikely that a train op would take a Physical Needs Relief (PNR) on a running line at a random station where they would have to be escorted to the toilet

I'd imagine it would be likely if there was a long suspension, e.g. a fatality ahead.

 

[Egg Centric]

So every single station has a toilet?

Are there any that are... uh... horrors?

 

[Mawkie]

So every single station has a toilet?

Are there any that are... uh... horrors?

Every station I've ever worked at has had a toilet and mostly kept in "good to very good" condition.

One surprise at Seven Sisters was this full size porcelain urinal, which was very clean, but surely they weren't installing these in 1967? Could it have come from somewhere else?

 

[Tube driver]

Company has minimum standards on toilet facilities and a cleaner will be called fairly quickly should they *ahem* fall below standard.

For Drivers they’ll be located at various points that are convenient and quickly accessed so at terminus’s where you have a bit more time plus a couple dotted along the line. At the end of the day though, if you have to go (and I mean really have to go) then you can call a PNR anywhere as needing to go can prove a serious distraction so give the controller as much notice as possible so a member of staff can be dispatched to effectively ‘mind the train’ and trains held ahead and behind you to regulate the service and avoid having trains stuck in section. That is a very rare occurrence though as your body quickly adjusts to take a comfort break at terminus’s and at break times.

 

[TheTallOne]

Instead of minding the train, couldn’t they send a spare driver to drive the train and then when they’re back from the loo, they swap with the next driver, who can go to the loo too, then swap with the next driver and so on…

 

[Dstock7080]

Spare driver from where?
If an urgent PNR is required a few minutes notice would be needed and train staff depots could be many stations away, eg. PNR required at Covent Garden, train crew depot at Acton Town or Arnos Grove.

 

[MaidaVale]

Unless it was some kind of emergency, it would be extremely unlikely that a train op would take a Physical Needs Relief (PNR) on a running line at a random station where they would have to be escorted to the toilet - that has the potential to be extremely detrimental to the service. I certainly know where all my PNR points are on my line - at termini, occasional head walls, and other secret doors

IIRC, Rule Book 6 states "must" tell the controller, but agree that it seems to have fallen by the wayside a little these days.

I'd say the majority of the time drivers tend to call up when taking one at the usual stations that might be likely to cause blocking back, such as Cockfosters or Wood Green Westbound, but in my experience most T/Ops don't tend to call in the quieter ones like South Harrow Eastbound or T4, which never really causes any issues.

 

[TheTallOne]

Spare driver from where?
If an urgent PNR is required a few minutes notice would be needed and train staff depots could be many stations away, eg. PNR required at Covent Garden, train crew depot at Acton Town or Arnos Grove.

I probably should have added a to the end, as it was kind of a joke.

In fact I thought I had, but it seems normal emojis are removed on saving.

 

[Mldaureol]

Unless it was some kind of emergency, it would be extremely unlikely that a train op would take a Physical Needs Relief (PNR) on a running line at a random station where they would have to be escorted to the toilet - that has the potential to be extremely detrimental to the service. I certainly know where all my PNR points are on my line - at termini, occasional head walls, and other secret doors

IIRC, Rule Book 6 states "must" tell the controller, but agree that it seems to have fallen by the wayside a little these days.

I remember an emergency PNR on the failures and delays sheet which occurred at Moorgate about 20 years ago that brought the Bank branch of the northern line to a halt for about 10 minutes during the morning peak.
At the time I wondered if the person involved had a curry the night before.

 

[Egg Centric]

Any "creative bottle usage" as an alternative a la "trucker's tizer"? I'm fairly sure they do in mainline trains. Harder to see that working on the tube though, but maybe? Could use a funnel to make it easier while using the deadman's device...

 

[Lockwood]

I saw something years ago, possibly on this forum, saying how some drivers prefer to drink Oasis over other bottled drinks as they have a larger aperture to aid with reuse.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Would any of the central London Yerkes stations like Covent Garden /Russell Sq have toilets at platform level for drivers?

 

[bicbasher]

There are staff toilets by the lift on the EL platforms at Whitechapel.

 

[Thames99]

You could alsways invest in one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topcloud-Shrinkable-Portable-Reusable-Emergency/dp/B08CNNHRZZ/

Good for ladies and gents apparently.

 

[Howardh]

You could alsways invest in one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topcloud-Shrinkable-Portable-Reusable-Emergency/dp/B08CNNHRZZ/

Good for ladies and gents apparently.

That is exactly what I have - just in case! But when out in public there's having it, and using it! Wouldn't like to be a tube driver caught short with see-through cab windows* and trying to relieve in one of those - but law of averages suggests that some of the older drivers will have postrate issues and need to use emergency equipment on occasion?

*Admits, where the cab is on a tube train there's a low chance of a passenger being in that area, unless it's a station with access point there.

 

[sprunt]

Is it not a legal requirement for all workplaces to have toilets?

 

[Daniel]

Is it not a legal requirement for all workplaces to have toilets?

Yes, though if a drivers’ workplace were determined to be their cab and therefore a toilet needed, the same would apply to every bus and taxi I imagine, plus on a bike for a Deliveroo driver!

 

[chuff chuff]

I saw something years ago, possibly on this forum, saying how some drivers prefer to drink Oasis over other bottled drinks as they have a larger aperture to aid with reuse.

Indeed lucozade have a similar wide opening.