Train operator Lumo has faced criticism after confirming that all on-board toilets were out of service on a service between London and Scotland. The five-and-a-half-hour route on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Stirling was running without any available toilets, a problem that first emerged on August 1.
Passenger backlash on social media
The issue prompted outrage from travellers, with many questioning whether the service should operate under such conditions. One passenger wrote on X: “This is shocking. As someone with a medical condition, I can find myself needing a wee every hour on some days. How can you justify running a service under these circumstances?” Another called for the operator to face a “heavy financial consequence” for the fault.
The announcement by Lumo, viewed by more than 500,000 people on social media, advised customers to speak to onboard staff for assistance. One user responded: “What assistance can staff provide? A bucket?”
Impact on services
To mitigate the issue, services have been stopping at stations for longer to allow passengers to use toilet facilities. The 6.11am service from London Euston on Friday, which was affected, ran with a 58-minute delay and terminated at Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.
The operator uses refurbished Class 222 Meridian trains for its West Coast services, a fleet also used by East Midlands Railway, which has also experienced toilet faults. Train operators in Britain are not legally required to provide onboard toilets, even on 417-mile routes like Lumo's service.
Operator response
A Lumo spokesperson said: “We have been experiencing some issues with the reliability of some of our toilet facilities onboard our West Coast services. We are working closely with Alstom to rectify the issues.” Alstom is the company that refurbished the train fleet.
