Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 November (HL3374), what assessment they have made of the mechanisms that are available to passengers in order to bring pressure on franchised train operators to ensure that appropriate toilet facilities are provided.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is continually trying to improve passenger experience both on train and at station. Train operators have commitments in their franchise agreements for achieving improved levels of customer experience standards and accessibility, including appropriate toilet facilities.

During the consultation phase of the franchise competition passengers and other stakeholder groups have the opportunity to contribute towards these specifications.

During the life of the franchise, operators are measured against the national rail passenger survey scores which measures against the cleanliness of toilet facilities on trains and at stations.

Above this during the life of the franchise, operators are encouraged to seek continuous improvement to their service offering which government supports through various funding opportunities.