Restroom cleanliness

[aegrotatio]

I left on a noontime Northeast Regional and the restrooms were filthy before the first stop.

Do they bother cleaning restrooms between runs?

Seems to me this trainset should have been.  It was starting at noon from the terminal.

I do like the free water dispensers, though.

 

[Atlantic and Hibernia]

Yes, the rest rooms are the one issue no one seems to want to discuss about passenger trains.

I have said as much a number of times on this forum.

Kevin

[travelingengineer]

Am not sure which "rest rooms" of which you inquire. But, I have found that the Superliner facilities to be quite clean at the commencement of a route. Nonetheless, I always carry several sanitary wipes, so as to pass over toilet facilities before my use thereof.

[henry6]

Tell us the train, served city, time and date.  Then we can rant on the system as a whole or make an excuse for this instance.

[Anonymous]

aegrotatio

I left on a noontime Northeast Regional and the restrooms were filthy before the first stop.

Do they bother cleaning restrooms between runs?

Seems to me this trainset should have been.  It was starting at noon from the terminal.

I do like the free water dispensers, though.

Several weeks ago I rode the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to New York.  I was in business class. The restrooms and toilets, at least in business class, were squeaking clean leaving the Iron City. But somewhere along the line a passenger stopped up one of the toilets with paper towels.  I brought the issue to the attention of the conductor.  At Harrisburg a maintenance crew boarded the train and cleared the problem.

It is not just the trains in America.  Most of the public restrooms open to the general public in this country tend to be dirty.  Too many Americans seem to think that public restrooms and toilets are depositories for anything that they want to throw away.  In contrast, when I lived in Australia, I found that the public toilets (they don't call them restrooms), including those on the trains, were much cleaner.  And much easier to find, especially in the large cities.    

[zugmann]

Sam1

 

 

It is not just the trains in America.  Most of the public restrooms open to the general public in this country tend to be dirty.  Too many Americans seem to think that public restrooms and toilets are depositories for anything that they want to throw away.  In contrast, when I lived in Australia, I found that the public toilets (they don't call them restrooms), including those on the trains, were much cleaner.  And much easier to find, especially in the large cities.    

 

Makes you wonder how some of these people live at home, eh?

When I worked road trains, it would amaze me how some people would hog up the cabs. I mean c'mon, we have to spend 12 + hours in these small spaces and you can't be bothered to keep it at least marginally clean? 

Some people are just hogs.  Unfortunately, some of these hogs ride amtrak.

[NKP guy]

What an interesting topic!

Like any other Amtrak customer, I can attest to the un-even quality of cleanliness on board their trains.  However, this past May I rode a number of trains in England and observed that, with regard to this issue, the Americans are no different from our English cousins.  There I found dirty restrooms on board one or two trains and a few very clean ones aboard others.  From both experiences, and from others, I make the following debatable proposition:

The cleanliness of the restrooms (I, too prefer the adult, non-euphemistic term "toilet") is in direct proportion to the age of the railroad car (allowing for re-modeling of older cars, of course).  In other words, if a customer sees that the equipment is new and well cared for, he will act accordingly.  But equipment that seems to be old or suffering from poor maintenance seems somehow to invite more abuse from patrons.

As another contributor observed, I have ridden trains that had very clean restrooms at the start of the trip and were filthy by the end of it.

I can't help but point out that these factors, and others, are of critical importance to the over-all experience of passengers, the paying customers, of trains.  Clean and decent toilet facilities are very important, especially to women, in way that I think many men fail to apprehend.  If ever Amtrak orders new sleeping cars they must contain individual toilet facilities within each room.

 I think people keep their own toilet areas cleaner than they do public ones, and this means a lower "ick-factor."

I'd like to hear from others about their experiences in other countries and the cleanliness of railroad toilet facilities there.  My guess is Americans are like everyone else...considering, of course, my new equipment=clean toilets theory noted above!

 

 

[Deggesty]

Sam1

Several weeks ago I rode the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to New York.  I was in business class. The restrooms and toilets, at least in business class, were squeaking clean leaving the Iron City. But somewhere along the line a passenger stopped up one of the toilets with paper towels.  I brought the issue to the attention of the conductor.  At Harrisburg a maintenance crew boarded the train and cleared the problem.

It is possible to accidentally throw paper towels into a toilet. But, finding the toilet stopped by such can cause you to wonder:

a. about the basic intelligence of whoever threw the towels into the toilet.

b. how much respect such a person has for other people, especially fellow passengers who must use the same facility.

 

[dakotafred]

[schlimm]

I ride DB (Germany) and FS (Italy) almost yearly and have found their toilets clean and well-designed.

[Alan F]

NKP guy

I can't help but point out that these factors, and others, are of critical importance to the over-all experience of passengers, the paying customers, of trains.  Clean and decent toilet facilities are very important, especially to women, in way that I think many men fail to apprehend.  If ever Amtrak orders new sleeping cars they must contain individual toilet facilities within each room.

 I think people keep their own toilet areas cleaner than they do public ones, and this means a lower "ick-factor."

I'd like to hear from others about their experiences in other countries and the cleanliness of railroad toilet facilities there.  My guess is Americans are like everyone else...considering, of course, my new equipment=clean toilets theory noted above!

The new Viewliner II sleeper cars will not have individual toilet facilities in each room. This is a hot button topic in the railroad forums, pretty evenly split between those who think toilets in each room are yucky and those who want them there. The benefits to Amtrak of removing the toilets from each room is less plumbing to maintain and freeze up in cold weather and I would venture a lot easier to clean & sanitize after the less thoughtful customer.

Ye many years ago, I worked in a mid-range Marriott hotel that was located in the suburbs one summer. I recall being amazed at how often people would trash or totally mess up their hotel room and sometimes would leave the bath room in a pretty disgusting condition. Most people, of course, were more respectful. But there were quite a few, maybe they were on an expense account or just did not care or got a kick of messing up the room, who were not.. This was not a cheap low rent hotel, but one with a large percentage of business travelers or people attending a convention meeting in the hotel.

On a train, it only takes one thoughtless person or some one who thinks it is funny to jam the toilet to mess up the rest room. All Amtrak can do is to try to design and build more robust rest rooms and pluming in the new equipment and lean on their crews to check & clean the bathrooms more frequently.