Toilets at Cardiff Central attract MP's attention!

[whole diary]

[chrisr_75]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-28130743

Large or "portly" women might find it difficult to use toilet cubicles at Wales' busiest railway station because they are so small, an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post - a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London, depending on context) has claimed.

Llanelli MP Nia Griffith highlighted the toilets at Cardiff Central as well as Port Talbot stations during a debate on cross-border rail services.

The Labour MP has asked transport officials to consider the issue when stations are redesigned.

Arriva Trains Wales, which operates the stations, has been asked to comment.

Ms Griffith said: "On Cardiff station and on Port Talbot station, probably because they're done to a specific design that came out of one book, it is impossible to get into a ladies's toilet cubicle with a very large suitcase.

"In fact, I suggest that some quite large, portly women might find it difficult to get themselves into those cubicles.

"Of course it does become necessary if you have to change trains and also because, for some older passengers in particular, using toilets on trains is quite difficult."

Ms Griffith said she wanted transport minister Patrick McLoughlin to address the issue during future upgrades to avoid problems like at Paddington station, where rail users have to go down a flight of stairs to access toilets.

The last time I had the mis-fortune to use the toilets at Cardiff Central they were so utterly disgusting I think ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) need to seriously think about just keeping them properly clean & maintained before they worry too much about a few people not fitting inside the cubicles - I'm surprised the AM didn't bring the maintenance subject up in fact.

Nice to see yet more mis-information, the 24 hour toilets at Paddington are now on platform 12 with step free access and were opened shortly before the 2012 Olympics as I recall...

[Rhydgaled]

It isn't just a question of maintainance. Clean or not, at least when I last had the misfortune to use them*, the toilets at Cardiff Central are pretty dreadful (although some stations (Network Rail ones I think, but also Inverness) charge which is even worse since I often refuse to use them and end up having to use on-train toilets as a result). The other really awful station toilets I can think of are Shrewsbury's (again based on experience quite a while ago). Major refurbishment and redesign needed on the toilets at both me-thinks.

It really is a shame about the toilets at Cardiff Central because it has otherwise largely been a pleasant experience changing trains there (until the train I'm boarding is a 150 or simply has too few carriages).

*before the current work on the new platform etc., so maybe things have changed

[chrisr_75]

The toilets at Cardiff Central really do let the station down badly, as the station is otherwise fairly pleasant, retaining most of its original architecture - its Victorian creators would surely be ashamed of the current state of the facilities!

[SDS]

If I have the misfortune to end up in Cardiff and need to use the toilets I will normally exit the station, turn right, and go to Wetherspoons.