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 \u2013 putting passengers and staff at risk.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Richard Hines, HM chief inspector of railways at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), wrote to train operators on 29 July 2025 telling them that \u201creliable welfare facilities [are] a basic requirement in any civilised society\u201d. He said the current situation where some staff \u201clack adequate facilities or the time to use them, is unacceptable. This is a matter of human dignity, health, safety and respect to our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave Calfe, the general secretary of Aslef, said: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union said female drivers were particularly affected, and the situation was a deterrent to the railway\u2019s attempts to recruit more women in the cab.<\/p>\n
The welfare charter, which should have been implemented within 12 months, requires \u201csafe, clean, accessible and dignified\u201d toilets across the railway, and a maximum time of four hours in the driving seat without the chance to go to the toilet.<\/p>\n
In the ORR\u2019s annual report published this month, it said that despite the strong initial commitment and sign-up to the charter, \u201cprogress has been uneven and industry momentum has slowed. Key barriers remain, particularly around coordination, shared access to facilities, and consistent delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, bladder issues, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer are believed to be linked to lack of toilet breaks.<\/p>\n
Calfe said: \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strike action on the railway has been relatively limited since pay deals in 2024 ended almost two years of intermittent nationwide action at the end of the Covid pandemic. However, ballots are under way<\/a> for drivers at LNER and Avanti; while RMT members at East Midlands railway will strike on 1 August over issues with its new trains<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n
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