Rail staff flush out dirty secrets

Published on Saturday 22 November 2008 18:37

NATIONAL Express trains are taking too much strain.

Network Rail has revealed one of the dirtiest secrets of the British railway system – some trains are so antiquated that passenger loos are still flushed straight on to the tracks.

Rail workers complain that human waste is even left behind at some busy mainline stations, such as Haymarket in Edinburgh, costing millions of pounds to clear up.

On the Forth Bridge, workers have even developed a signalling system to alert them when an offending express is on the way. If the signal is given, they turn their backs on the carriages to avoid being hit.

Network Rail, the giant infrastructure company responsible for maintaining the railways, says it is concerned that the waste could corrode rail lines.

The culprits are an ageing fleet of Intercity 125s run by train company, National Express, on its flagship east coast service. Unlike more modern versions, the 125s are not fitted with septic tanks which can be emptied at the end of their journeys.

Network Rail has now applied to the industry regulator for an extra 7m to help clean up the waste left on the tracks over the next five years.

The company's workers, who claim they can end up being splashed when the toilets are flushed, resent having to carry out the job.

"It's disgusting," said one source. "They even leave lumps and toilet roll all over the tracks at stations like Haymarket in Edinburgh. We are sick of it."

A spokesman for Network Rail said clearing the human waste is a serious problem. "Clearing toilet waste from the rail network is a time-consuming and expensive task and, over time, the waste itself can damage our infrastructure by corroding the track and other components," he added.

Rail union officials urged the companies to get together to end the contamination.

Phil McGarry, Scottish organiser for rail union RMT, said: "Network Rail and National Express need to get their act together on this issue.

"Our members are putting themselves at risk by contact with all kinds of contamination and disease," he said. "They shouldn't have to stand for this, especially when we have the technology to fit septic tanks to older trains."

Station managers are also unhappy. Haymarket Station is widely regarded as one of the best run in Britain – with its manager last week named as Scotland's transport employee of the year. Station chiefs, however, have no powers over the toilet waste that is flushed on to tracks between platforms. A spokesman for National Express East Coast said the ageing rolling stock guilty of causing all the mess would be phased out over the next few years.

"Within the next few years, the HST – High Speed Train – fleet we currently operate will be replaced by the next generation of rolling stock after the introduction of the InterCity Express project. We have considered implementing a retro-fitment of septic tanks, however this is not feasible due to the short projected lifespan of the HST fleet."

Almost all trains operating in Scotland, including those run by First ScotRail and Virgin, have "captive" or "septic" tanks on board. Passengers using trains without tanks on board are not supposed to flush while trains are in stations. Most people, however, have forgotten this rule as the years have passed.