In 2023, many people lodged complaints regarding the unsanitary state of train toilets on both regional and long-distance services.
Over the past year, toilets on German trains have been a major hassle for many passengers: Regional trains experienced approximately 1,500 complaints and issues, while long-distance trains saw 300. This information was shared by the Düsseldorf "Rheinische Post," which cited a response from the Federal Government's Railway Commissioner, Michel Theurer, when queried by the Union faction.
Theurer mentioned that the average rate of malfunctioning toilets on DB Regio trains in 2023 was 12.5%, compared to 3.7% in long-distance traffic. He clarified that the noticeably higher percentage for DB Regio is due to a different means of reporting issues. Most toilets were out of order due to operational reasons, like being blocked.
Ulrich Lange, the deputy faction leader of the Union, spoke to the "Rheinische Post" and expressed concern. "The German Railway can't even manage their train toilets efficiently," Lange said. "If one in ten toilets in DB Regional traffic wasn't functioning properly last year, that's too many." Faulty or partially functional toilets aggravate passengers and can ruin any train trip. It's time for the railway to put more effort into maintaining train toilets fully functional.
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Due to the high number of complaints, the issue of WC malfunctions in train toilets has become a significant concern in both regional and long-distance traffic, with hundreds of reports recorded. This problem especially affected DB Regio trains, where nearly 12.5% of toilets malfunctioned last year, compared to just 3.7% in long-distance traffic. This disparity is attributed to the different reporting methods used for the two types of trains.
