There’s nothing worse than arriving at a train station, desperate for the loo, only to discover you don’t have enough cash to get through the barriers.
Legs plaited, you hope your bladder (or bowel) will hold long enough for you to get cash out and find a machine that will transform your note into coins. You then have the turnstile to contend with. And, most likely, a queue...
But for people with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), toilet charges can prove even more problematic, which is why The IBS Network has praised National Rail for abolishing toilet charges in some of the UK’s busiest train stations.
London Liverpool Street, Edinburgh Waverley and London King’s Cross stations are the latest to join 16 other stations in ditching toilet fees.
IBS is a long-term illness which affects around 12 million people in the UK. Alison Reid, chief executive of The IBS Network, told HuffPost UK the illness can be “a very isolating and debilitating condition”. Symptoms tend to include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.
“Many people living with IBS need urgent access to toilet facilities so travelling with the condition can be difficult,” she said.
“We welcome this change in station toilet charges, as having easy access to toilets when you need them most makes travelling with the condition much easier to manage.”
Discussing the recent changes, Andrew Haines, National Rail’s chief executive, said: “Passengers have told us that toilets are an important issue for them and taking this step is just one, of a number of small measures we are taking, to put our passengers first by helping to make their journeys a bit more hassle-free.”
Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said the move was a “welcome step for passengers”.
He continued: “Toilets are a priority for improvement at stations according to our research and will signal the end of fumbling around in your pocket for change to spend a penny.”
Birmingham New Street station was one of the first to remove fees in 2015 following its £750m transformational rebuild.
The following stations also have free toilets:
- Bristol Temple Meads
- Clapham Junction
- Edinburgh Waverley
- Glasgow Central
- Guildford
- Leeds
- Liverpool Lime St
- London Bridge
- London Cannon Street
- London Charing Cross
- London Euston
- London King’s Cross
- London Liverpool Street
- London Paddington
- London Victoria
- London Waterloo
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Reading