20p to spend a penny at Southampton train station (From Daily Echo)
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20p to spend a penny at Southampton train station
7:10am Monday 24th September 2012 in News
20p to spend a penny at Southampton train station
TRAIN passengers visiting Southampton station are nowbeing charged to use the loo.
New turnstiles at the station toilets were put into operation over the weekend charging customers 20p to use the facilties.
But passengers have questioned whether it is fair to have to pay to use a toilet when they have already paid for a ticket to travel.
Rail commuters were last month stung with news of a higher than expected 6.2 per cent hike in the average fare from January.
Denis Fryer from South Hampshire Rail Users’ Group said: “It’s a bit mean, coming on top of huge increases in rail fares and car parking charges.
“I presume it’s something to do with the renovation of the station but Gloucester Central station has just been rebuilt and has got great newtoilets that are still free. It’s all down to the operator.”
A spokesman for the Campaign For Better Transport questioned whether the charge was providing a better service or whether passengers were “being taken for a ride”.
The station has recently undergone a £2.4m revamp to give it a new look and new facilities “fit for the 21st century”, including new toilets.
South West Trains, which operates Southampton Central Station, has been introducing the charges for toilets at its larger stations.
A spokesperson for the South West Trains/Network Rail alliance said: “We are introducing a small charge for passengers wishing to use the toilets at Southampton Central Station.
"The 20p charge, which will start during the autumn, will allow us to continue to provide a high quality facility for passengers and should help to encourage users to treat the facilities respectfully and with consideration for others.”
Comments(34)
10 Minute Man
says...
7:59am Mon 24 Sep 12
"CONTINUE" ?
The exits from that whole station and the SW trains network should have signs saying "Now wash your hands".
What a laugh.
OSPREYSAINT
says...
8:01am Mon 24 Sep 12
Zeo
says...
8:08am Mon 24 Sep 12
Higginz
says...
8:08am Mon 24 Sep 12
Laura85
says...
8:28am Mon 24 Sep 12
Independent Thought
says...
8:54am Mon 24 Sep 12
Unless they have since modernised them into the 'high quality facilities' they claim; then I think that SWT should be paying us 20p to use them!
dopplershift
says...
9:00am Mon 24 Sep 12
winchesterres
says...
9:04am Mon 24 Sep 12
Essentially charging customers to use the toilet is so mean but I think I'd rather part with 20p than use the toilets on board the train. They always smell of urine.
west_end_legend
says...
9:15am Mon 24 Sep 12
OSPREYSAINT
says...
9:39am Mon 24 Sep 12
MisterGrimsdale
says...
9:39am Mon 24 Sep 12
ToastyTea
says...
9:54am Mon 24 Sep 12
ajw1986
says...
9:57am Mon 24 Sep 12
I'm pregnant and need the loo like 4 times an hour atm, what the hell!
The facilities may have been revamped but we waited years for that to happen, and it happened slowly. And they were not worth it.
Just rediculous making us pay more for toilets and trains.
Absolutely fuming about that.
wilson castaway
says...
10:00am Mon 24 Sep 12
Higginz wrote:LMAO.
Students: looking for that next great Flash Mob idea? Well, here it is. Congregate around Southampton Train Station and at a decided time, everyone drop their slacks and do their business on the platform. Number one or number two, it's up to you. You could call it a Flash Slash.
sotonboy84
says...
10:30am Mon 24 Sep 12
The toilets at Southampton Central have always smelt badly of urine and never cleaned properly so is this the high level facility they will continue to provide?
Waterloo may charge 30p to use the toilets but the station is open for anybody to use, if you have a train ticket or not. Southampton Central toilets are only open to those who have bought tickets so surely use of the toilets should be included in a paying customers fare?
Inform Al
says...
3:24pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Huffter
says...
5:18pm Mon 24 Sep 12
ajw1986 wrote:Toilets at Southampton railway station are the responsibility of South West Trains, not Christ. And you won't find toilets on the Salisbury buses.
Christ they are really starting to make me think i'd rather spend money on buses more if going to Salisbury or something. I'm pregnant and need the loo like 4 times an hour atm, what the hell! The facilities may have been revamped but we waited years for that to happen, and it happened slowly. And they were not worth it. Just rediculous making us pay more for toilets and trains. Absolutely fuming about that.
100%HANTSBOY
says...
6:17pm Mon 24 Sep 12
OSPREYSAINT
says...
7:07pm Mon 24 Sep 12
west_end_legend wrote:Toilet humour is not appreciated on here, so no way will you be flushed with success.
Loo-dicrous!! See what I done there?
ajw1986
says...
7:07pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Huffter wrote:I would rather spend 7.50 on going on a bus to use the pass all day and know i can't use a loo for an hour than spend over 10 quid to catch a train and still have to spend money on going to the bloody loo. At least there are toilets in Salisbury bus station (not that i would use them - but they're free)
ajw1986 wrote:Toilets at Southampton railway station are the responsibility of South West Trains, not Christ. And you won't find toilets on the Salisbury buses.
Christ they are really starting to make me think i'd rather spend money on buses more if going to Salisbury or something. I'm pregnant and need the loo like 4 times an hour atm, what the hell! The facilities may have been revamped but we waited years for that to happen, and it happened slowly. And they were not worth it. Just rediculous making us pay more for toilets and trains. Absolutely fuming about that.
Does anyone know if you have to pay to use the childrens changing facility? That would be the last straw....
west_end_legend
says...
7:16pm Mon 24 Sep 12
OSPREYSAINT wrote:Its all in the delivery isn't it.... And here's comment Number 2!! It's a big job but someone's gotta do it!!!
west_end_legend wrote: Loo-dicrous!! See what I done there?Toilet humour is not appreciated on here, so no way will you be flushed with success.
septuagenarian
says...
7:25pm Mon 24 Sep 12
TurquoiseJ
says...
9:18pm Mon 24 Sep 12
kingnotail
says...
10:45pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Scrutinizer
says...
4:48am Tue 25 Sep 12
Scrutinizer
says...
5:06am Tue 25 Sep 12
TurquoiseJ wrote:Designers (and architects too, for that matter - just ask any builder!) in this country have seriously lost the plot for many years now. And as far as hot and cold water taps designs go; all that is needed is a simple system, whereby people can turn them on and off at their leisure (and obviously where they turn off automatically if they haven't been manually). But you'd think it was rocket science! And with the number of stupid tap designs out there in public toilets across this country, it's quite obvious that Britain would not have a hope in hell of ever actually achieving a Mars mission, even if it wanted too!
The turnstile on platform one is so narrow that larger people, heavily pregnant ladies, people with large luggage that cannot be left unattended and those with toddlers would find it difficult to get through. The toilets did not appear to have been upgraded. If they were upgraded with automatic taps, soap and the Dyson hand driers and cubicles with enough room to turn around in with a case, then I would not mind paying.
Ellwood
says...
9:27am Tue 25 Sep 12
6:17pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Utter disgrace,if you are a customer in a pub or restaurant or cinema or theatre etc,you aren't expected to pay to use the loo,what makes these loos so special? Just another cash-cow for these greedy people!
............. nail on head HB.
Vonnie
says...
10:00am Tue 25 Sep 12
It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.
Inform Al
says...
10:38am Tue 25 Sep 12
Vonnie wrote:There was a time when the rest of the world was envious of our civilised society, We used to have free public toilets aplenty, we are moving back towards the dark ages.
I wouldn't mind betting that the possible (only possible) reason for these charges being made now is to pay for contractors, as against station staff, to clean and maintain such places.
It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.
skin2000
says...
10:41am Tue 25 Sep 12
Vonnie wrote:Because the toilet is on the station, and you need a ticket to get onto the station, you should not have to pay again, to use this facility. Do you pay in restaurants, cinema's, football stadiums ect? not even on the Continent.
I wouldn't mind betting that the possible (only possible) reason for these charges being made now is to pay for contractors, as against station staff, to clean and maintain such places.
It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.
Scrutinizer
says...
11:15am Tue 25 Sep 12
Inform Al wrote:Yes, Inform Al. I completely agree with you on this. It should be the right of every person in this country to make use of any public toilet here, free of being charged at the point of entry.
Vonnie wrote: I wouldn't mind betting that the possible (only possible) reason for these charges being made now is to pay for contractors, as against station staff, to clean and maintain such places. It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.There was a time when the rest of the world was envious of our civilised society, We used to have free public toilets aplenty, we are moving back towards the dark ages.
Scrutinizer
says...
11:22am Tue 25 Sep 12
Vonnie wrote:It should not be a "privilege". It should be a RIGHT.
I wouldn't mind betting that the possible (only possible) reason for these charges being made now is to pay for contractors, as against station staff, to clean and maintain such places. It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.
SaintDon13
says...
2:36pm Tue 25 Sep 12
Vonnie wrote:Most of the Continental loos have an attendant with a saucer, if you don't bung a euro or two at them they get quite irate, but at least most of the loos are acceptable, however some in deepest France leave a lot to be desired!
I wouldn't mind betting that the possible (only possible) reason for these charges being made now is to pay for contractors, as against station staff, to clean and maintain such places.
It is not station staff who make such a mess in them, but the general public, so the general public who use them should pay for the privilege. Why should Britain be any different to anywhere else? You won't find many free public loos on the Continent.
Andy Locks Heath says...
7:41am Mon 24 Sep 12