Train drivers in Great Britain are considering strike action over a lack of toilets, with Aslef warning that some drivers face long periods without a break. The union has put the industry on notice as ballots are under way for drivers at LNER and Avanti.
Dave Calfe said: "We 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." He added: "The health and wellbeing of our members is not a price we are prepared to pay for the inaction of the industry."
Aslef and the welfare charter
Aslef said companies had failed to deliver adequate toilets and reduce maximum driving times without a toilet break. A 2024 report by Aslef, based on a survey of its members, found widespread issues: many drivers were unable to reach working toilets, some resorted to urinating in bottles or defecating in the cabs, and others limited what they drank so they would not need a break.
The dispute sits against a welfare charter that requires safe, clean, accessible and dignified toilets across the railway, along with a maximum of four hours in the driving seat without the chance to go to the toilet. The charter was meant to be implemented within 12 months, but the union says industry promises have not been delivered.
Richard Hines writes to operators
Richard Hines wrote to train operators on 29 July 2025 and said reliable welfare facilities are a basic requirement in any civilised society. He also said the current situation was unacceptable and that workers who lack adequate facilities or the time to use them were being failed on dignity, health, safety and respect.
This month, the ORR said in its annual report that progress has been uneven and industry momentum has slowed. It said key barriers remain around coordination, shared access to facilities and consistent delivery, which leaves the union arguing that the charter has not been turned into routine practice.
LNER and Avanti ballots
Female drivers are particularly affected, according to the union, which has tied the issue to the day-to-day reality of longer driving spells and limited access to facilities. The ballots at LNER and Avanti are the immediate test of whether the warning becomes industrial action, while RMT members at East Midlands railway are due to strike on 1 August over issues with its new trains.
For drivers, the next step is not another statement but a vote. If the ballots back action, the pressure shifts from complaints about welfare to a possible stoppage over a basic working condition that the charter was supposed to settle a year ago.
