Train toilets to be locked as upgrade is too costly
THE toilets on many of Arriva Trains Wales’ oldest Pacer trains are set to be locked – as upgrading them to meet modern disability requirements has been deemed too expensive.
Officials are now understood to accept they cannot replace the trains, which operate on the Valleys and Cardiff routes, in time to meet the deadline for accessibility improvements next year.
To cut the estimated £10m bill for modifying the carriages to meet disability requirements, the toilets are simply likely to be locked.
The Welsh Government has denied that the toilets would be locked but was unable to confirm whether toilets would be provided at all on the trains.
Under the Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM) legislation, there is no requirement to provide a wheelchair-accessible toilet on trains that don’t have toilets.
Pacers were built in the 1980s as a stopgap solution to a British Rail funding crisis. With only four wheels per coach instead of the usual eight, they give passengers a bumpier ride and squeal loudly on curved track – including on the heavily used route past the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
They are so unpopular that in 2015, then Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin overruled his civil servants to promise that all Pacers in the north of England would be replaced by 2020.
Wales appeared to be on the same trajectory after the company that owns most of Wales’ Pacers said it would not invest in the modifications which would enable them to continue in passenger service after December 31, 2019.
However, sources are now indicating that Wales will still need Pacers after that deadline. The next Wales and Borders franchise, starting in October, will introduce new trains, but not until after next year, because of the long lead-in time for rolling stock.
It is likely that even when Wales does invest in new rolling stock, there will still be no toilets as the trains will be light rail – and there will be investment in toilets at stations rather than on trains.
Second-hand diesel trains from other franchises are unlikely to allow withdrawal of all Welsh Pacers in the next couple of years because of delays or cancellations to electrification projects which were previously expected to replace diesel trains.
The Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) regulations list many features which will be essential after next year, including wheelchair space, audio and visual passenger information and contrasting colours to help visually impaired people locate handles and door buttons. If the train has toilets, at least one toilet must be accessible for wheelchairs, including a “clearway” route to the cubicle.
Retired train engineer Ian Walmsley, who managed the Valley Lines fleet in the 1980s, said that keeping the Pacers running after next year was feasible, provided the toilets were taken out of use.
“The toilet is big money as it has to go mid-vehicle. The obvious answer is to lock them all.”
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: “By 31st December 2019, all trains must include provisions for people of reduced mobility (PRM) in line with EU and UK Government standards. Transport for Wales and Welsh Government have included plans to achieve these standards in their procurement.”