Flushing on the four foot
MAIN line trains still flushing lavatory wasteontothefour foothave come into focusyet again, with theRMTrail union saying that thecontinuinguse of old- fashionedpassenger rolling stock left trackworkers at risk in the coronavirus crisis. However, changes areafoot– anda wayforward hasbeenagreed.
Theissueaffectsboth scheduledpublic serviceoperatorsandrail tour promoters usingBRMk. 1andMk. 2 carriages, plus secondgenerationDMUs– andto a lesserdegree, heritagerailways using similar rolling stock.
Eightmain line operatorshave a dispensation fromnewrules requiring lavatorywastetobeflushedinto retention tanks. These includeoperators such asGWR, Transport forWales, Cross CountryandWestMidlandsTrains.
Nomentionof rolling stock used bycharter trainswasmade. The Government reportedthatabout 350 carriagesstill dischargewasteintothe tracks, the totalamounting to 2.5% of the fleet, but not including ex- BR stock.
Mick Lynch of theRMTsaid:“Promise afterpromiseanddeadlineafter deadline hasbeenmissed toendthis practice onceandforall.”
TheOffice ofRailandRoad’s communicationsmanagerRobert Crawford said :“As far as the heritage sector, there isnodeadlineagreedfor the fitmentofControlled EmissionToilets.
“However, wedoexpectoperators to managethe risk such asminimising the numberof toilets inuseonindividual railwaysandover time, explore the potential toadoptmainline standards.
“ThecharteroperatorsWestCoast, VintageTrainsandLocomotive Services Limitedhaveenteredinto anetwork changeagreement with NetworkRailandare in theprocess of arranging fundingandfitmentontheir coachingstock.
“This isadirectagreement with the NetworkRail charters teamwhoare setting thetermsandconditions for fundingandfitmentby2023.”
Fundinghas alwaysbeen the stumblingblock. Five yearsagowhenthe subjectof retentiontankswasraised, it wasestimatedthat itwould cost £ 10,000 per coach, andthereforea10- car train would cost theowner £ 100,000, withthe likelihoodof fares being raised.