This one is close to my heart as I have a tiny bladder and hated working Class 313s which have no onboard toilets. When working on the Northern City Line we had a 6 minute turnround time at Moorgate - in which to shut down the cab, change the roller blind, lock the cab, walk the the length of the busy platform, unlock the cab, set the radio, set up the desk, and set the roller blind. Then depart. No chance of a 'comfort break' there.
When my depot lost the Moorgate work we had a splendid celebration dinner and everyone was very happy.
Sadly though, the following tale is not a happy one.
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Originally Posted by ASLEF journal, November 2022
Driver died because he had no toilet
...on Tuesday 1st February a driver was killed when he stepped down from his cab to relieve himself.
The RAIB's initial report report reads."At around 20:33 hrs a train travelling at approximately 33mph passed a stationary train that was waiting in a siding 300 metres to the west of Worthing station. As it did so it struck and fatally injured the driver of the stationary train, who had previously exited the train's cab and descended to track level. The train was timetabled to wait here for a short time before returning to West Worthing station and forming the next service to Brighton. Train drivers should not normally need to leave their trains as part of their duties while waiting in this siding"
The subsequent result of the RAIB investigation have not yet been published but there have long been concerns that the 313 stock has no toilet and the timetable does not allow drivers enough time to use a toilet between services.
'There had been previous complaints regarding drivers discarding bottles of urine onto the track at West Worthing and threats of disciplinary action for those caught doing so' says Simon Weller.' We believe the driver who was hit had gone down to track level in the dark to urinate.'
The ORR has separately issued a damning Improvement Notice to to the operator, GTR Thameslink. 'They have failed to provide adequate facilities and arrangements. This includes toilets and adequate time to access them.'
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So there you go, not all aspects of train driving are good.