Rail organisations have agreed a national action plan to improve railway workers’ access to welfare facilities, following an operational trial on the East Coast Main Line.
The programme was presented at a workshop hosted by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and supported by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The event brought together 51 senior leaders from 35 organisations, including passenger and freight operators, Network Rail, the Department for Transport, trade unions and suppliers.
Blueprint tested on East Coast Main Line
The Freight Safe Programme’s Provision of Welfare Facilities Project has developed a process allowing a driver to request an unscheduled toilet stop through the GSM-R communications system. The train can then stop at an agreed location, subject to existing operating rules and safety checks.
Potential facilities must pass a three-stage assessment covering the safety of stopping the train, including factors such as gradient and train length; the safety of the driver’s walking route; and risks associated with the facility’s location and security.
An operational test on 23 September 2026 demonstrated that the network had capacity for the stops and that the GSM-R request process worked. Freight operators are now seeking further suitable facilities for additional testing in October, with wider mobilisation planned for World Toilet Day.
Data and culture
RSSB’s Welfare Insights tool maps welfare facilities at stations, depots, signal boxes and customer sites against freight dwell-time data. The tool is intended to identify facilities that could support train crews, as well as gaps in provision, and could eventually inform train paths and service planning.
Network Rail is also modernising its welfare app. A wider system incorporating geolocation data is planned for launch in mid-2027, providing rail staff with more accessible information about welfare facilities on railway infrastructure.
Train operator c2c presented its Caught Short Guide, introduced in 2024 to give drivers explicit management support to take toilet breaks. The company reported almost no measurable impact on performance since its introduction.
The workshop agreed that workers should not be reprimanded for using the toilet and that organisations should demonstrate this principle through management action. The RSSB Railway Welfare Facilities Charter, launched in October 2025, has so far been signed by 40 organisations.
Commitments for the sector
Organisations that have not signed the charter were asked either to do so or explain why they have not. Each organisation is also expected to appoint a senior leader responsible for promoting a positive culture around toilet breaks.
Facility owners have committed to engaging with the Freight Safe Programme and assessing sites promptly. The industry will also establish a welfare forum to monitor delivery of the national action plan.
Richard Hines, HM Chief Inspector of Railways at the ORR, said: “For too long, some railway workers have faced unacceptable barriers to accessing basic welfare facilities while carrying out their duties. Addressing this is not only important from a health and safety perspective, it is also central to building a more inclusive railway and a culture where people are treated with dignity and respect.”
He added that the success of the programme would be measured by whether frontline workers experienced a tangible improvement in their working conditions and could access facilities when needed.
Rebecca Vaudrey, director of health, safety and security at DB Cargo UK and sponsor of the Freight Safe Programme’s welfare project, said the trial had shown that the concept could operate within existing rules, using the current GSM-R system and available network capacity.
“The project completion and network-wide scaling are now wholly reliant on the engagement and support of wider Rail Industry, particularly Station Facility Owners,” she said.
RSSB chief operating officer Joshua Fisher said the issue had remained unresolved because it crossed organisational boundaries. “We leave with a tested blueprint, a national plan and a date,” he said.