Northern reacts to reports of unpleasant incident on Bradford train

One passenger spoke of his "horror" at discovering the last Northern train of the day into Bradford - reportedly operated by a 195 unit - did not have a working toilet on-board.

"At least one person ended up urinating on the train by the seats that are supposed to carry the cycle rack," the shocked passenger wrote on the RailUKforums website.

Another desperate passenger, who managed to hold off until the train had arrived in Bradford, then faced further woe, with the realisation that the Interchange does not currently have any toilets due to the ongoing closure of the bus station. He subsequently had to urinate against the flowers on platform 3 and 4, it has been reported.

The closure of Bradford Interchange bus station also impacts on rail passengers as the toilets are within the closed section (Image: T&A)

One traveller said he had made Northern aware of the incident and said the company had been "extremely helpful" in providing him with details of why the problem happened.

He said that, apparently, the train should have been made to wait at a rail station en-route, with announcements made for passengers who needed to get off to use the station toilet, especially when considering the length of the journey.

He added: "Luckily I was able to hold it in but obviously, the person who urinated on the train couldn't wait. I guess if you've got to go you've got to go but why wasn't this train taken out of service?"

The Telegraph & Argus made Northern aware of the concerns raised on RailUKforums, and asked if the company wanted to comment on the situation.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “In the event of on-board toilet facilities being out of order, it is procedure to lock those facilities until our maintenance team can attend. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience this may cause.”

A train at Bradford Interchange station

The incident has sparked a wider discussion about toilets on trains. 

One person said too many trains were being built with only one toilet, adding "one for three carriages is particularly ludicrous."

He said the specifications clearly were not produced by regular train passengers.

Another said it would be helpful to hear announcements at each station before the train arrives advising that there is no toilet, so people can either seek one out before boarding or take the decision not to travel at all.